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Abstract To evaluate myocardial strain in patients with different coronary artery disease-reporting and data system (CAD-RADS) levels using the computed tomography (CT) feature tracking technology and to investigate the relationship of myocardial strain with coronary artery calcium scores (CACs) and the degree of coronary artery stenosis. We prospectively enrolled 237 consecutive patients to undergo coronary CT angiography. The participants were divided into the following groups: control (n = 87), CAD-RADS 1 (n = 43), CAD-RADS 2 (n = 43), CAD-RADS 3 (n = 38), and CAD-RADS 4 and above (n = 26). Myocardial strains were analyzed by commercial software, and CACs and coronary stenosis were assessed on post-processing stations. Differences between multiple groups were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal–Wallis test. Logistic regression were used to analyze the effects of dichotomous variables. As the CAD-RADS level increased, the global circumferential strain (GCS), global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global radial strain (GRS) of the left ventricle based on CT gradually decreased. A significant correlation was observed between global myocardial strain and CACs (GRS: r = − 0.219, GCS: r = 0.189, GLS: r = 0.491; P

Primary pericardial sarcomas are rare and lethal diseases. To date, only a few cases of primary pericardial sarcomas, such as rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), have been reported. Since the unusual location of RMS in the pericardium makes it challenging to diagnose, precise diagnostic procedures are required. In this study, we present the case of a 23-year-old man who experienced postprandial obstruction and atypical precordial pain that lasted for a week. Echocardiography revealed a heterogeneous isoechoic pericardial mass with a significant pericardial effusion. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed a massive pericardial effusion along with an irregular, defined, heterogeneously enhancing mass that was located between the pericardium and diaphragm. PET-CT imaging showed an intense FDG uptake in the pericardial mass. Furthermore, cardiac MRI demonstrated malignant characteristics of the pericardial mass and provided a detailed visualization of its exact anatomical connection with both cardiac and extracardiac structures. Finally, a pathologic examination of a puncture biopsy specimen confirmed the diagnosis of primary pericardial RMS. Our case emphasizes the importance of multimodal imaging for the differential diagnosis and evaluation of cardiac involvement, while providing clinicians with crucial information for clinical treatment and decision-making.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to dynamically monitor the myocardial structure and function changes in diabetic mini-pigs by 1.5 T cardiac magnetic resonance. Methods Three male mini-pigs underwent cardiac magnet resonance (CMR) imaging, and histologic examination. T1-mapping was acquired at basal, mid and apical segments. CMR feature-tracking (CMR-FT) is used to quantify left ventricle global longitudinal (LVGLS), circumferential (LVGCS) and radial strain (LVGRS). Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) was evaluated using a commercially available software. Results Left ventricular mass (LVM), myocardial native T1 value, extracellular volume (ECV) value and EAT were increased gradually after 6 months of modeling, while LVGLS decreased gradually after 6 months of modeling (LVM: 24.5 (23.4, 26.7) vs. 42.7 (41.4, 44.6) g/m2, p

Abstract Myocardial fibrosis assessed by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is associated with cardiovascular outcomes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients, but little is known about the utility of non-invasive markers for detecting LGE. This study aims to explore the association between cardiac-specific biomarkers, CMR myocardial strain, left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and LGE in HCM patients with preserved ejection fraction (EF) and investigate the predictive values of these indexes for LGE. We recruited 33 healthy volunteers and 86 HCM patients with preserved EF to undergo contrast-enhanced CMR examinations. In total, 48 of 86 HCM patients had the presence of LGE. The LGE-positive patients had significant higher serum high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (Nt-proBNP) levels and lower global longitudinal (GLS) and circumferential (GCS) strains than the LGE-negative group. The LGE% was independently associated with the Nt-proBNP levels, GCS, LV end-diastolic maximum wall thickness (MWT) and beta-blocker treatment. In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the combined parameters of Nt-proBNP ≥ 108.00 pg/mL and MWT ≥ 17.30 mm had good diagnostic performance for LGE, with a specificity of 81.25% and sensitivity of 70.00%. These data indicate that serum Nt-proBNP is a potential biomarker associated with LGE% and, combined with MWT, were useful for identifying myocardial fibrosis in HCM patients with preserved EF. Additionally, LV GCS may be a more sensitive indicator for reflecting the presence of myocardial fibrosis than GLS.

Abstract Background The prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is not well established. We aimed to develop nomograms for individualized estimates of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with ENKTL using 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters and clinical parameters. Methods A total of 171 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL undergoing 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning were retrospectively analyzed. Nomograms were constructed according to multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression. The predictive and discriminatory capacities of the nomograms were then measured using the concordance index (C-index), calibration plots, and Kaplan-Meier curves. The C-index, the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to contrast the predictive and discriminatory capacities of the nomograms against with the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and Korean Prognostic Index (KPI). Results Multivariate analysis demonstrated that pretreatment SUVmax≥9.5, disease stage II and III-IV, elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and elevated β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) had the strongest association with unfavorable PFS and OS. In addition, hemoglobin (Hb)

Abstract Background Previous studies have found that impaired global myocardial systolic strain is associated with cardiovascular events in T2DM patients. However, the effect of hypertension (HT) on left atrial (LA), right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation in hypertensive T2DM patients has not been fully studied by cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT). Our aim was to assess LA, RV and LV strain in T2DM patients with T2DM-HT and without hypertension using CMR-FT and to determine the underlying relationships with clinical parameters. Methods A total of 27 T2DM patients, 23 T2DM-HT patients and 31 controls were studied. LA, LV and RV strain was evaluated using CMR-FT. The clinical and biochemical parameters of the patients were collected. Results The T2DM patients had reduced LA global circumferential strain (LAGCS), radial strain (LAGRS), longitudinal strain (LAGLS) and right ventricular longitudinal strain (RVGLS) compared with the controls (LAGCS: 27.2 ± 2.1% vs 33.5 ± 2.4%; LAGRS: − 28.6 ± 1.1% vs − 31.9 ± 1.3%; LAGLS: 24.3 ± 1.3% vs 31.4 ± 1.5; RVGLS: − 21.4 ± 1.2% vs − 26.3 ± 1.1%, p

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the normal value of left ventricular myocardial strain using the computed tomography feature-tracking technique and to explore the correlation between myocardial strains and cardiac function parameters. Methods: Participants suspected of coronary heart disease were selected from 17 August 2020 to 5 November 2020 to undergo coronary computed tomography angiography using a third-generation dual-source CT scanner. Data were imported into a commercial software (Medis) after multiphase reconstruction. The cardiac function parameters, radial (Err), circumferential (Ecc), and longitudinal strain (Ell) of the left ventricle were recorded. Results: A total of 87 normal subjects were enrolled, including 41 males and 46 females. For healthy subjects, the global radial strain (GRS), circumferential strain (GCS), and longitudinal strain (GLS) of the left ventricle were 74.5 ± 15.2%, −22.7 ± 3.0%, and −26.6 ± 3.2%, respectively. The Err and Ecc absolute values (|Ecc|) were the largest at the apex, and the |Ell| gradually increased from the base to the apex. The Err and |Ecc| were the largest in the lateral and inferior wall, respectively. |Ell| showed a clockwise decrease from the lateral wall in the short axis. Meanwhile, the GRS and |GLS| in females were higher than that in males. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that both SV and LVEF were the independent determinants of GRS, GCS, and GLS. BMI and CO were the independent determined factors of GCS. Conclusions: At a reasonable radiation dose, CT feature-tracking is a feasible and reproducible method to analyze left ventricular myocardial strain. Left ventricular myocardial strain in normal subjects varies in gender, segments, levels, and regions.