1,720,970 research outputs found
Polar plot maps by parametric strain echocardiography allow accurate evaluation of non-viable transmural scar tissue in ischaemic heart disease
No full textAims Assessment of left ventricular (LV) transmural scar tissue in clinical practice is still challenging because magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear techniques have limited access and cannot be performed extensively. The aim of this study was to verify whether parametric two-dimensional speckle-Tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) can more accurately localize and quantify LV transmural scar tissue in patients with healed myocardial infarct (MI) in comparison with MRI. Methods and results Thirty-one consecutive patients (age 56±32 years, 29 males) with MRI and echocardiography performed after at least 6 months from an acute MI were studied. Apical LV longitudinal strain images by 2D-STE and short-Axis contrast images by MRI were analysed to generate parametric bull's eye maps showing the distribution of the LV transmural scar tissue, whose extension was measured by planimetry and expressed as a percentage of the total myocardial area. Twelve patients also had early 2D-STE and MRI examinations after the acute MI. 2D-STE accurately quantified the extent of transmural scar tissue vs. MRI (r = 0.86; limits of agreement 10.0 and 29.5%). Concordance between 2D-STE and MRI for transmural scar tissue localization was high, with only 3.6% of discordant segments using an LV 16-segment model. Lin coefficients, intra-class correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman analysis showed very good intra-and inter-observer reproducibility for 2D-STE evaluations. The transmural scar tissue area at 6 months could be predicted by early 2D-STE evaluation. Conclusion 2D-STE polar plots of LV longitudinal strain characterize transmural scar tissue accurately compared with MRI and may facilitate its assessment in clinical practice. © 2016 The Author
Primary leiomyosarcoma of the aorta: Report of a case and review of the literature
No full textLeiomyosarcoma of vascular origin is an extremely rare lesion especially when it occurs in the arteries. In the present study, we report a case of such a neoplasm, originating in the wall of the descending aorta and give an ample review of world references on the subjects of primary aortic neoplasm. Wright classified aortic tumors into two categories concerning the site of origin in the aortic wall: the first involves the intima, the second group consists of tumors arising in the media or adventitia. The aspecific clinical findings that characterize these lesions explain the difficulty of a preoperative diagnosis. Very important, therefore, are sonography and CT which point out signs and symptoms which refer to a local and distal diffusion of the tumor. However, even in the cases in which the diagnosis is done before surgery, there is no codified therapeutic management. In fact both surgical and non-surgical methods (radiotherapy, chemotherapy) have poor results with an average survival. Due to the limited prognosis "quoad vitam", the elective therapy must preferably be of conservative type
Coronary computed tomography angiography using model-based iterative reconstruction algorithms in the detection of significant coronary stenosis : how the plaque type influences the diagnostic performance
Full text linkPurpose: To evaluate the ability of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) algorithm in detecting significant coronary artery stenosis compared with invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Material and methods: We retrospectively identified 55 patients who underwent CCTA using the MBIR algorithm with evidence of at least one significant stenosis (≥ 50%) and an ICA within three months. Patients were stratified based on calcium score; stenoses were classified by type and by coronary segment involved. Dose-length-product was compared with the literature data obtained with previous reconstruction algorithms. Coronary artery stenosis was estimated on ICAs based on a qualitative method. Results: CCTA data were confirmed by ICA in 89% of subjects, and in 73% and 94% of patients with CS < 400 and ≥ 400, respectively. ICA confirmed 81% of calcific stenoses, 91% of mixed, and 67% of soft plaques. Both the dose exposure of patients with prospective acquisition (34) and the exposure of the whole population were significantly lower than the standard of reference (p < 0.001 and p = 0.007). Conclusions: CCTA with MBIR is valuable in detecting significant coronary artery stenosis with a solid reduction of radiation dose. Diagnostic performance was influenced by plaque composition, being lower compared with ICA for patients with lower CAC score and soft plaques; the visualisation of an intraluminal hypodensity could cause false positives, particularly in D1 and MO segments
Computed tomographic colonography in the evaluation of a case of giant colonic diverticulum
No full textThe aim of this article was to present our experience with CT-colonography evaluation of a case of giant colonic diverticulum. Despite the high prevalence of diverticular disease in the Western world, giant colonic diverticula are rare entities, with fewer than 200 cases reported in literature
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Reinterventions on bilio-digestive anastomoses
No full textThe authors describe their experiene with teinterventions on bilio-digestive anastomoses
Anthracycline cardiotoxicity in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma mediastinal mass: A case report
No full textAnthracycline is often used for treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, and the damage it causes to the heart muscle has long been known; therefore, the cardiac toxicity, one of the treatment-related co-morbidities, has become an issue for cancer survivors. Cardiotoxicity has been defined using various classifications. In this paper we report the case of a man affected by follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which was first diagnosed in 2006 and had a second recurrence in 2012 with a mediastinal mass: the patient was subjected to a new cycle of chemotherapy with anthracycline, the follow-up exam showed a significant reduction of the mass, but the clinical condition worsened and the ejection fraction of the left ventricle had a progressive reduction, as seen in the cardiac-MRI test. Then, it was decided to discontinue therapy with anthracycline, resulting in a clear recovery of systolic function of the left ventricle, as seen in the following echocardiogram
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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