Browsing by Author "Grapsa, Julia (57204441798)"

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest cardiac rhythm disorder. Evaluation of patients with AF requires an electrocardiogram, but imaging techniques should be considered for defining management and driving treatment. The present document is an expert consensus from the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and the European Heart Rhythm Association. The clinical value of echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), computed tomography (CT), and nuclear imaging in AF patients are challenged. Left atrial (LA) volume and strain in echocardiography as well as assessment of LA fibrosis in CMR are discussed. The value of CT, especially in planning interventions, is highlighted. Fourteen consensus statements have been reached. These may serve as a guide for both imagers and electrophysiologists for best selecting the imaging technique and for best interpreting its results in AF patients. © 2016 Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.

Acute heart failure is one of the main diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in clinical practice due to a non-specific clinical manifestation and the urgent need for timely and tailored management at the same time. In this position statement, the Heart Failure Association aims to systematize the use of various imaging methods in accordance with the timeline of acute heart failure care proposed in the recent guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology. During the first hours of admission the point-of-care focused cardiac and lung ultrasound examination is an invaluable tool for rapid differential diagnosis of acute dyspnoea, which is highly feasible and relatively easy to learn. Several portable and stationary imaging modalities are being increasingly used for the evaluation of cardiac structure and function, haemodynamic and volume status, precipitating myocardial ischaemia or valvular abnormalities, and systemic and pulmonary congestion. This paper emphasizes the central role of the full echocardiographic examination in the identification of heart failure aetiology, severity of cardiac dysfunction, indications for specific heart failure therapy, and risk stratification. Correct evaluation of cardiac filling pressures and accurate prognostication may help to prevent unscheduled short-term readmission. Alternative advanced imaging modalities should be considered to assist patient management in the pre- and post-discharge phase, including cardiac magnetic resonance, computed tomography, nuclear studies, and coronary angiography. The Heart Failure Association addresses this paper to the wide spectrum of acute care and heart failure specialists, highlighting the value of all available imaging techniques at specific stages and in common clinical scenarios of acute heart failure. © 2019 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2019 European Society of Cardiology

Myriad advances in all fields of cardiac imaging have stimulated and reflected new understanding of cardiac performance, myocardial damage and the mechanisms of heart failure. In this paper, the Heart Failure Association assesses the potential usefulness of innovative imaging modalities in enabling more precise diagnostic and prognostic evaluation, as well as in guiding treatment strategies. Many new methods have gradually penetrated clinical practice and are on their way to becoming a part of routine evaluation. This paper focuses on myocardial deformation and three-dimensional ultrasound imaging; stress tests for the evaluation of contractile and filling function; the progress of magnetic resonance techniques; molecular imaging and other sound innovations. The Heart Failure Association aims to highlight the ways in which paradigms have shifted in several areas of cardiac assessment. These include reassessing of the simplified concept of ejection fraction and implementation of the new parameters of cardiac performance applicable to all heart failure phenotypes; switching from two-dimensional to more accurate and reproducible three-dimensional ultrasound volumetric evaluation; greater tissue characterization via recently developed magnetic resonance modalities; moving from assessing cardiac function and congestion at rest to assessing it during stress; from invasive to novel non-invasive hybrid techniques depicting coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion; as well as from morphometry to the imaging of pathophysiologic processes such as inflammation and apoptosis. This position paper examines the specific benefits of imaging innovations for practitioners dealing with heart failure aetiology, risk stratification and monitoring, and, in addition, for scientists involved in the development of future research. © 2018 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2018 European Society of Cardiology

Circulating biomarkers and imaging techniques provide independent and complementary information to guide management of heart failure (HF). This consensus document by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) presents current evidence-based indications relevant to integration of imaging techniques and biomarkers in HF. The document first focuses on application of circulating biomarkers together with imaging findings, in the broad domains of screening, diagnosis, risk stratification, guidance of treatment and monitoring, and then discusses specific challenging settings. In each section we crystallize clinically relevant recommendations and identify directions for future research. The target readership of this document includes cardiologists, internal medicine specialists and other clinicians dealing with HF patients. © 2021 European Society of Cardiology

Cardiovascular (CV) imaging is an important tool in baseline risk assessment and detection of CV disease in oncology patients receiving cardiotoxic cancer therapies. This position statement examines the role of echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance, nuclear cardiac imaging and computed tomography in the management of cancer patients. The Imaging and Cardio-Oncology Study Groups of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in collaboration with the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and the Cardio-Oncology Council of the ESC have evaluated the current evidence for the value of modern CV imaging in the cardio-oncology field. The most relevant echocardiographic parameters, including global longitudinal strain and three-dimensional ejection fraction, are proposed. The protocol for baseline pre-treatment evaluation and specific surveillance algorithms or pathways for anthracycline chemotherapy, HER2-targeted therapies such as trastuzumab, vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, BCr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitors, proteasome inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors are presented. The indications for CV imaging after completion of oncology treatment are considered. The typical consequences of radiation therapy and the possibility of their identification in the long term are also summarized. Special populations are discussed including female survivors planning pregnancy, patients with carcinoid disease, patients with cardiac tumours and patients with right heart failure. Future directions and ongoing CV imaging research in cardio-oncology are discussed. © 2020 European Society of Cardiology