International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, advances in cardiovascular imaging have expanded our ability to characterize the myocardial abnormalities taking place over the course of different cardiomyopathies. Novel applications of echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and nuclear imaging have been tested, providing information that can potentially lead to early disease diagnosis and improved risk stratification. Furthermore, where new pharmacological treatments should be available, cardiac imaging might potentially be used to track the effects of these treatments on heart morphology and function.

The present Special Issue aims to provide a glimpse into the use of cardiac imaging within the broad field of cardiomyopathies. Studies using a multimodality imaging approach, as well as those investigating the prognostic relevance of cardiovascular imaging, are especially welcome.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in JCDD.

Dr. Luca Arcari
Dr. Allegra Battistoni
Guest Editors

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Keywords

cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
echocardiography
computed tomography
strain imaging
multimodality imaging
nuclear imaging
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
dilated cardiomyopathy
cardiac amyloidosis
arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
takotsubo

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 6035 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Post-Mortem Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Explanted Heart of Patients with Sudden Death

by Giovanni Donato Aquaro, Benedetta Guidi, Michele Emdin, Angela Pucci, Enrica Chiti, Alessandro Santurro, Matteo Scopetti, Federico Biondi, Aniello Maiese, Emanuela Turillazzi, Giovanni Camastra, Lorenzo Faggioni, Dania Cioni, Vittorio Fineschi, Emanuele Neri and Marco Di Paolo

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13395; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013395 - 17 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1539 | Correction

Abstract

Background: We sought to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of post-mortem cardiac magnetic resonance (PMCMR) of explanted hearts to detect the cardiac causes of sudden death. Methods: PMCMR was performed in formalin-fixed explanted hearts of 115 cases of sudden death. Histological sampling of myocardium was performed using two different approaches: (1) guideline-based sampling; (2) guideline-based plus PMCMR-driven sampling. Results: Forensic diagnosis of cardiac cause of death was ascertained in 72 (63%) patients. When the guideline-driven histological sampling was used, the PMCMR interpretation matched with final forensic diagnosis in 93 out of 115 cases (81%) with sensitivity of 88% (79–95%), specificity of 65% (47–80%), PPV of 84% (78–90%), NPV of 73% (58–84%), accuracy of 81% (72–88%), and AUC of 0.77 (0.68–0.84). When a PMCMR-driven approach was added to the guideline-based one, the matching increased to 102 (89%) cases with a PMCMR sensitivity of 89% (80–94%), a specificity of 86% (67–96%), PPV of 95% (89–98%), NPV of 73% (59–83%), accuracy of 89% (81–93%), and AUC of 0.88 (0.80–0.93). Conclusions: PMCMR has high accuracy to identify the cardiac cause of sudden death and may be considered a valid auxilium for forensic diagnosis. PMCMR could improve histological diagnosis in conditions with focal myocardial involvement or demonstrating signs of myocardial ischemia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Imaging and Cardiomyopathies)

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Review

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18 pages, 25805 KiB

Open AccessReview

Multimodality Imaging in HIV-Associated Cardiovascular Complications: A Comprehensive Review

by Parveen Kumar, Christophe Arendt, Simon Martin, Safaa Al Soufi, Philipp DeLeuw, Eike Nagel and Valentina O. Puntmann

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2201; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032201 - 26 Jan 2023

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Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly reduced the risk of developing acquired immune deficiency syndrome and increased life expectancy, approaching that of the general population. However, people living with HIV have a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular diseases despite long-term viral suppression using ART. HIV-associated cardiovascular complications encompass a broad spectrum of diseases that involve the myocardium, pericardium, coronary arteries, valves, and systemic and pulmonary vasculature. Traditional risk stratification tools do not accurately predict cardiovascular risk in this population. Multimodality imaging plays an essential role in the evaluation of various HIV-related cardiovascular complications. Here, we emphasize the role of multimodality imaging in establishing the diagnosis and aetiopathogenesis of various cardiovascular manifestations related to chronic HIV disease. This review also provides a critical appraisal of contemporary data and illustrative cases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Imaging and Cardiomyopathies)

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