Articles
Articles are a collaborative effort to provide a single canonical page on all topics relevant to the practice of radiology. As such, articles are written and edited by countless contributing members over a period of time. A global group of dedicated editors oversee accuracy, consulting with expert advisers, and constantly reviewing additions.
739 results found
Article
Retroaortic anomalous coronary sign (echocardiography)
The retroaortic anomalous coronary (RAC) sign describes the sonographic appearance of an anomalous left coronary artery traveling posteriorly to the aortic root. It is most commonly observed with anomalous origin of the left circumflex artery from the right sinus of Valsalva, but is also describ...
Article
Secundum atrial septal defect
A secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) is the most common congenital abnormality of the interatrial septum. It describes a defect in the center of the interatrial septum in the region of the fossa ovalis and is most commonly due to a discontinuity in the portion of the septum derived from the emb...
Article
Aortic valve prolapse
Aortic valve prolapse refers to the improper closure of aortic valve leaflets. Aortic valve prolapse can result in aortic regurgitation, aortic root dilatation, and eccentric remodeling of the left ventricle.
Pathology
Etiology
pulmonary atresia
rheumatic aortic valve disease
bicuspid ao...
Article
Aortic root to right ventricle fistula
An aortic root to right ventricle fistula refers to abnormal fistulous communication between the aortic root and the right ventricle. It results from a defect of the aortic wall usually in the area above the right coronary cusp, where it separates aorta and right ventricular outflow tract. It ca...
Article
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is a type of heart failure due to left ventricular dysfunction (left heart failure) classified by a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction occurs when the left ventricle is unable to con...
Article
Ventricular tachycardia
Ventricular tachycardia is a type of ventricular arrhythmia with at least three consecutive ventricular beats occurring at greater than 100 beats per minute. If left untreated, ventricular tachycardia can lead to ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest.
Epidemiology
Ventricular tachycardi...
Article
Posterior superior aortic recess
The posterior superior aortic recess, (also known as the superior pericardial recess or the superior sinus) is one of the variable invaginations of the superior aortic recess and is located posterior to the ascending aorta.
It may mimic mediastinal lymphadenopathy or a bronchogenic cyst.
Article
Posterior pericardial recess
The posterior pericardial recess is one of the pericardial recesses forming a small space within the pericardium. It arises from the superior margin of the oblique pericardial sinus, posterior to the right pulmonary artery and medial to the bronchus intermedius.
It may mimic mediastinal lymphad...
Article
Ventricular arrhythmia
Ventricular arrhythmias are potentially very dangerous cardiac arrhythmias arising from the cardiac ventricles that require immediate attention and medical care and include the following rhythms:
premature ventricular complexes
ventricular tachycardia
torsades de pointes
ventricular flutter
...
Article
Atrioventricular block
Atrioventricular block, AV block or heart block is a conduction disturbance and a type of arrhythmia where the impulse transmission between the cardiac atria and ventricles is either transiently or permanently delayed or completely blocked 1.
Epidemiology
Atrioventricular block can be found in...
Article
Reduced leaflet motion
Reduced leaflet motion refers to an abnormally decreased mobility of one or more valvular leaflets and is a phenomenon that has been observed after (transcatheter) implantation of prosthetic heart valves and gained clinical significance for the diagnosis of subclinical leaflet thrombosis.
Epide...
Article
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is depicted as an irregular heartbeat. When it is too fast, it is called tachycardia i.e. more than 100 beats per minute. On the other hand, too slow of a heartbeat is called bradycardia, with less than 60 beats per minute being recorded.
Clinical presentation
Symptomatology compris...
Article
Prosthetic valve thrombosis
Prosthetic valve thrombosis, valve thrombosis or leaflet thrombosis refers to thrombus formation of any component of a prosthetic heart valve and is a cause of prosthetic valve dysfunction and a potentially reversible complication of valvular surgery 1,2.
Subclinical leaflet thrombosis is an en...
Article
Contrast level within inferior vena cava
A dependent contrast level within the inferior vena cava is a situation that can be observed in some cases with inferior vena caval contrast reflux. Its presence is usually associated with very poor cardiac output and can be accompanied by dependent layering of venous refluxed contrast within th...
Article
Inferior vena caval contrast reflux
Reflux of contrast into inferior vena cava can be common findings seen on CT. It is considered a specific but insensitive sign of right-sided heart disease / right heart dysfunction at low contrast injection rates although the usefulness decreases with high injection rates.
Conditions associate...
Article
Percutaneous mitral commissurotomy
Percutaneous mitral commissurotomy (PMC) also known as percutaneous mitral balloon commissurotomy (PMBC), percutaneous mitral valvotomy (PMV) or percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty (PMBV) is a transcatheter procedure for the management of mitral stenosis.
History and etymology
Percutaneo...
Article
Coronary artery bypass graft markers
Coronary artery bypass graft markers are radiopaque markers placed at the proximal origin of coronary artery bypass grafts from the ascending aorta. The purpose of these is to make subsequent coronary angiography easier by indicating the location of the graft origin.
Markers may be metallic ri...
Article
Transcatheter mitral valve intervention
Transcatheter mitral valve interventions (TMVI) or percutaneous mitral valve interventions are less-invasive, highly technical procedures available for the management of selected patients with mitral valve regurgitation and include several transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) and transcathet...
Article
Ischemic cardiomyopathy
Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) refers to significant systolic dysfunction with a moderate to severely impaired left ventricular ejection fraction as a consequence of myocardial ischemia and/or myocardial infarction. The condition is not listed or classified as cardiomyopathy in the position state...
Article
Commissure (disambiguation)
A commissure (TA: commissura) is a location at which two anatomical structures are united. Though the term most commonly refers to the commissures in the brain, there are a number which exist in the human body:
central nervous system
corpus callosum
anterior commissure
posterior commissure
...
Article
Right atrial appendage
The right atrial appendage, also known as the right auricule (TA) or auricle, is a trapezoidal pouch forming the anterosuperior part of the right atrium. Pacemaker/defibrillator leads are often placed at this site.
Gross anatomy
The right atrial appendage is delineated from the rest of the rig...
Article
Cardiac resynchronisation therapy
Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) refers to simultaneous biventricular or multisite pacing of the heart with a specialized biventricular cardiac pacemaker (CRT-P) with or without an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (CRT-D) and is a treatment option in moderate to severe heart failure...
Article
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (diagnostic criteria)
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, alternatively Takotsubo syndrome, is a primary acquired cardiomyopathy characterized by transient left ventricular dysfunction. Several sets of diagnostic criteria exist and are variably utile in various clinical and research settings.
International Takotsubo Diagnosti...
Article
Echocardiography
Echocardiography refers broadly to the use of diagnostic ultrasound as it pertains to the heart and cardiovascular system. The features of the imaging equipment used, as well as the principles underlying image generation, are analogous to other sonographic applications. It is primarily used to n...
Article
Atrial volume
The atrial volumes refer to the blood volumes of the left or right atrium and the atrial volume index is the respective atrial volume corrected for the body surface area (BSA).
Usage
Atrial volumes are measured for the assessment of many congenital and acquired cardiac conditions causing left ...
Article
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a type of heart failure with normal or near-normal ejection fraction and objective evidence of diastolic dysfunction.
Terminology
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction was initially termed ‘diastolic heart failure' and was repl...
Article
Apical rocking
Apical rocking is a radiographic sign that might be seen either on echocardiography or cine imaging on cardiac MRI in the four-chamber view and refers to a movement of the cardiac apex in cardiac dyssynchrony. It is characterized by the following 1-3:
short-timed movement of the apex towards th...
Article
Cardiac dyssynchrony
Cardiac dyssynchrony refers to deviations in timing and/or disturbance of the normal sequence of activation and contraction between the atria and ventricles of the heart, the right and left ventricle or among the ventricular wall segments. Dysynchrony can be subdivided into electrical and mechan...
Article
Development of the heart
The heart is one of the first organs in the developing embryo to form and function. By the start of week 4, a primitive heart has begun to pump blood and by week 7 most of the gross development of the heart is complete. Its development is complex, with several events occurring simultaneously.
T...
Article
Coronary microcirculation
The coronary microcirculation comprises several anatomically and functionally different coronary vascular compartments with a small diameter (<500 µm) that play a crucial role in the regulation of myocardial perfusion.
Summary
location: epicardium, myocardium, endocardium
blood supply: epicar...
Article
Aspirin
Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a generic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and antiplatelet agent. It is one of the most-widely if not the most commonly used drug in the world and is listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines 1-4. It is used as an over-the-coun...
Article
Endocarditis signs (mnemonic)
A mnemonic to remember the most important signs of endocarditis is:
FROM JANE
Mnemonic
F: fever
R: Roth's spots
O: Osler's nodes
M: murmur of heart
J: Janeway lesions
A: anemia
N: nail hemorrhage
E: embolism
Article
Cyanosis differential diagnosis (mnemonic)
A mnemonic to differentiate between central and peripheral cyanoses is:
COLD PALMS
Mnemonic
C: cold (peripheral)
O: obstruction (peripheral)
L: LVF and shock (peripheral)
D: decreased cardiac output (peripheral)
P: polycythemia (central)
A: altitude (central)
L: lung disease (central)
...
Article
New onset atrial fibrillation causes (mnemonic)
A mnemonic to remember the commonest causes of new onset atrial fibrillation is:
PIRATES
Mnemonic
P: pulmonary
I: ischemic
R: rheumatic
A: atrial myxoma
T: thyroid
E: embolism
S: sepsis
Article
Rosenbach sign (disambiguation)
Rosenbach sign may refer to several different clinical signs:
Rosenbach sign (AV regurgitation)
Rosenbach sign (eye)
Rosenbach sign (hemiplegia)
History and etymology
Ottomar Ernst Felix Rosenbach (1851-1907), a German physician born in Prussian County in Silesia, graduated from medicine in...
Article
Tobacco abuse
Tobacco abuse, most commonly by smoking cigarettes, is a legal drug habit of many throughout the world. It is a significant risk factor for many malignancies, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and is a major cause of premature mortality throughout the world.
Epidemiology
It has been esti...
Article
Rosenbach sign (aortic valve regurgitation)
Rosenbach sign is a clinical sign that is seen in severe aortic/tricuspid valve regurgitation. It is elicited as pulsation of the liver, during systole, and it is primarily due to the increased cardiac output and associated retrograde blood flow into the liver 1-3.
See also
Rosenbach also gave...
Article
Right ventricular fractional area change
The right ventricular fractional area change is a two-dimensional measure of right ventricular global systolic function usually made on an echocardiogram. It is obtained from the apical four-chamber view and is calculated as
RV- fractional area change = (end-diastolic area - end-systolic area) ...
Article
Post cardiac arrest syndrome
The post cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) describes the clinicopathological state that manifests following most cardiac arrests. Clinically, it is manifested by a combination of neurological disturbance, multiorgan dysfunction and a systemic inflammatory response syndrome-like state.
Pathology
T...
Article
Hamartoma of mature cardiac myocytes
Hamartomas of mature cardiac myocytes (HMCM) are benign tumors arising from mature striated cardiac myocytes.
Terminology
Terms that are not recommended include ‘cardiac hamartoma’ or ‘hamartoma of adult cardiac myocytes’ 1.
Epidemiology
A hamartoma of mature cardiac myocytes is a very rare ...
Article
Cystic tumor of the atrioventricular node
Cystic tumors of the atrioventricular node (CTAVN), also known as endodermal heterotopia, refer to a benign mass lesion of the atrioventricular node that constitutes a developmental endodermal rest.
Terminology
A term that is no longer recommended for use is ‘mesothelioma of the atrioventricul...
Article
Cardiac undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma
Cardiac undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas are highly malignant mesenchymal tumors of the heart.
Terminology
Terms that are no longer recommended for use include ‘intimal sarcoma’, ‘undifferentiated sarcoma’ and ‘undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma’ 1.
Epidemiology
Cardiac undifferentia...
Article
Cardiac leiomyosarcoma
Cardiac leiomyosarcomas are malignant smooth muscle tumors of the heart.
Epidemiology
Cardiac leiomyosarcomas are rare primary malignant tumors of the heart accounting for less than one-fifth of cardiac sarcomas. They have been found in a wide age range from 6 months to 86 years with a mean ag...
Article
Gastropericardial fistula
Gastropericardial fistulas are rare abnormal communications between the stomach and the pericardial sac. This is a life-threatening condition that can lead to impaired cardiac function, sepsis and eventually death.
Clinical presentation
Patients with gastropericardial fistula may present with ...
Article
Phase-sensitive inversion recovery
Phase-sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR), also known as phase-corrected inversion recovery (PCIR), refers to an inversion recovery MRI pulse sequence that accounts for the positive and negative polarities and preserves the information of tissue magnetization during the recovery from the initial...
Article
Burned-out phase of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
The burned-out phase of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy refers to the end-stage of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and is characterized by myocardial fibrosis, systolic dysfunction and left ventricular wall thinning.
Epidemiology
The burned-out phase can be seen in 3-5% of patients with hypertrophic c...
Article
Cardiac wall motion abnormalities
Cardiac wall motion abnormalities describe kinetic alterations in the cardiac wall motion during the cardiac cycle and have an effect on cardiac function. Cardiac wall motion abnormalities can be categorized with respect to their degree and their distribution pattern that is whether they are glo...
Article
Caseous calcification of the mitral annulus
Caseous calcification, liquefactive necrosis or ‘toothpaste tumor’ of the mitral annulus refers to a calcified cardiac mass and a rare variant of mitral annular calcification that is often misdiagnosed as a cardiac abscess or cardiac tumor.
Epidemiology
Caseous mitral annular calcification is ...
Article
Marginal artery (disambiguation)
The marginal artery may refer to several different arteries in the body, including two different coronary vessels:
callosomarginal artery (CNS)
marginal artery (of Drummond)
obtuse marginal artery (cardiac)
right marginal artery (cardiac)
Article
Cardiac gating (CT)
Cardiac gating or ECG gated angiography in CT is an acquisition technique that triggers a scan during a specific portion of the cardiac cycle. Often this technique is conveyed to obtain high-quality scans void of pulsation artefact.
Technique
Via the attachment of ECG leads, cardiac gating aim...
Article
Infiltrative cardiomyopathy
Infiltrative cardiomyopathies are a group of diseases characterized by the deposition of different substances either within the cells or the extracellular space of the myocardium leading first to altered ventricular filling and diastolic dysfunction and eventually to overt systolic dysfunction 1...
Article
Myocardial fiber disarray
Myocardial disarray, myocardial fiber disarray or cardiac myocyte disarray refers to bizarre disorganization and texture of cardiac myocyte bundles, individual cardiomyocytes and contractile elements within the sarcomeres. It is an important histological feature of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy wh...
Article
Mass-like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Mass-like or tumefactive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a morphological variant or phenotype of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Epidemiology
Mass-like or tumefactive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is rare and accounts for less than 2% of cases 1-4.
Associations
Mass-like or tumefactive hyper...
Article
Concentric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Concentric or symmetric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a morphological variant or phenotype of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) characterized by fairly symmetrical or diffuse thickening of the myocardium and a reduction of the left ventricular cavity.
Terminology
The term ‘concentric left ven...
Article
Midventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Midventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a phenotype or morphological variant of asymmetric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) characterized by hypertrophy in the midventricular segment that might result in midventricular obstruction.
Epidemiology
Midventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy...
Article
Asymmetric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Asymmetric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common morphological variant or phenotype of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Epidemiology
Approximately 60-70% of cases with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy make up for the asymmetric phenotype 1-3.
Associations
Asymmetric hypertrophic cardio...
Article
Taenia sagittalis
The taenia sagittalis or sagittal bundle is a prominent pectinate muscle and a band-like structure in the right atrium and constitutes a mimic for right atrial thrombi or masses.
Gross anatomy
The taenia sagittalis originates from the crista terminalis and extends upwards and anteriorly dividi...
Article
Cardiac cycle
The cardiac cycle describes the electrical and mechanical actions of the heart, contraction and relaxation of the atria and ventricles during every heartbeat.
The cardiac cycle consists of the following phases 1-3:
Systole
isovolumetric contraction and closure of the atrioventricular valves
...
Article
CT triple rule out (protocol)
A triple rule out (TRO) protocol is a cardiac CT protocol that aims to assess for different problems at the same time in one single examination: obstructive coronary artery disease, aortic dissection or pulmonary embolism.
The approach itself has been continuously under discussion due to diffic...
Article
Coronary CT angiography (protocol)
The coronary CT angiography or cardiac CT angiogram protocol is the most common dedicated cardiac CT examination and is a non-invasive tool for the evaluation of the coronary arteries.
Note: This article is intended to outline some general principles. Protocol specifics especially medications, ...
Article
Structural heart disease
Structural heart disease refers to any non-coronary congenital or acquired cardiac defect in a broad sense. In a narrower sense, it refers to any type of non-coronary heart disease for which there are therapeutic percutaneous interventional or catheter-based options available.
Typical examples ...
Article
Cardiac CT (retrospective acquisition)
A retrospective ECG-gated cardiac CT is usually conducted in cases in which adequate control of heart rate cannot be achieved or in which additional information on ventricular or valvular function is required.
Indications
Please refer to our coronary CT angiography article for general indicati...
Article
Cardiac CT (prospective acquisition)
A prospective ECG gated cardiac CT angiogram, also known as the step and shoot method, is considered the default or ‘bread and butter’ protocol for coronary CTA and combines a reasonably low radiation dose with diagnostic results in most situations. Nowadays, this protocol is available on most C...
Article
Mitral annular dilation
Mitral annular dilation refers to an increased mitral annulus in relation to the size of the mitral valvular leaflets and is a potential cause for mitral regurgitation.
Epidemiology
Associations
Mitral annular dilation is seen in the following clinical conditions 1-3:
secondary mitral regurg...
Article
Flail leaflet
Flail leaflet or leaflet flail refers to an abnormally increased leaflet mobility of the atrioventricular valves associated with valvular prolapse and a systolic excursion of the leaflet tip or edge into the atria.
Pathology
Flail leaflet can be seen in leaflets of the mitral and tricuspid val...
Article
Papillary muscle rupture
Papillary muscle rupture (PMR) is a dangerous complication that can evolve as a consequence of myocardial infarction or infective endocarditis leading to severe acute mitral or tricuspid regurgitation leading to left or right-sided heart failure.
Epidemiology
Papillary muscle rupture is rare a...
Article
Mitral valve repair
Mitral valve repair or mitral valvuloplasty is a surgical method for treatment of a deficient mitral valve, which comprises removal of redundant valvular tissue and fixation of ruptured/elongated chordae tendineae rather than the whole replacement of the valve.
History and etymology
The first ...
Article
Cardiac CT (prospective high-pitch acquisition)
The prospective ECG-gated high-pitch dual-source CT cardiac angiogram is a high pitch helical acquisition of the heart that is able to capture a single phase of the cardiac cycle, a dual-source scanner is required to perform it. Although this is the CT cardiac angiogram with the lowest dose it a...
Article
Mitral valve replacement
Mitral valve replacement refers to the substitution of the mitral valve either by a mechanical valve or bioprosthesis.
Indications
Mitral valve replacement has been superseded by mitral valve repair in most situations of mitral valve dysfunction 1-3. Further existing indications of operative m...
Article
Years criteria for pulmonary embolism
The YEARS criteria is a diagnostic algorithm that determines the risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) derived from three items in the Wells score that are most predictive of PE1. Unlike the Wells score, it uses a variable D-dimer threshold based off clinical pre-test probability. The YEARS criteria i...
Article
Mitral valve leaflet calcification
Mitral valve leaflet calcification or mitral leaflet calcification refers to the deposition of calcium on the mitral valvular leaflets as opposed to mitral annular calcification in the mitral annulus. It has been associated with mitral stenosis 1,2.
Epidemiology
Mitral leaflet calcification h...
Article
Myxomatous mitral valve degeneration
Myxomatous mitral valve degeneration, myxomatous degeneration of the mitral valve, myxomatous mitral valve disease or simply myxomatous mitral valve is a non-inflammatory progressive alteration of the mitral valve structure associated with mitral valve prolapse and mitral insufficiency.
Termino...
Article
Mitral annulus
The mitral annulus (MA) or mitral annular ring refers to a membrane-like structure of the atrioventricular junction, that forms a hinge for the mitral leaflets and separates the left atrial and ventricular myocardial walls.
Gross anatomy
The mitral annulus is a ‘D-shaped’ structure resembling ...
Article
D sign (right ventricle)
A D-shaped left ventricle or flattening of the interventricular septum with a D-shaped configuration is a feature described with significant right ventricular (RV) overload / right heart strain such as that occurring with complications of a sizable pulmonary embolic event. It was initially descr...
Article
Mitral annulus disjunction
Mitral annulus disjunction (MAD) is an anatomic mitral annular abnormality characterized by a separation of the mitral annulus the left atrial wall and the basal portion of the left ventricular myocardium.
Epidemiology
Mitral annulus disjunction has been reported in 42-90% of patients with myx...
Article
Tuberculous pericarditis
Tuberculous pericarditis is an infection of the pericardium with tubercle bacilli that features different pathological stages and is the most common form of cardiac tuberculosis.
Epidemiology
Tuberculous pericarditis makes up for ≤4% of pericardial disease in developed countries but is the maj...
Article
Paravalvular leak
A paravalvular leak, paravalvular leakage or paravalvular regurgitation are an abnormal flow between the valvular annulus and the prosthetic heart valve and is a common complication after valvular replacement surgery due to inadequate sealing.
Epidemiology
Paravaluvar leaks are common, with an...
Article
Vasospastic angina
Vasospastic angina (VSA), variant angina or Prinzmetal angina is a clinical entity that refers to a hyper-reactive response of the epicardial coronary arteries to vasoconstrictor stimuli.
Epidemiology
Incidence and prevalence seem not entirely explored and are highly variable between certain p...
Article
Coronary microvascular dysfunction
Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) or coronary microvascular disease refers to a wide spectrum of clinical situations with an impairment of the coronary microcirculation and myocardial blood flow in subjects with respective risk factors. It can contribute to or induce myocardial ischemia. ...
Article
Chronic coronary syndrome
Chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) is a term that defines coronary artery disease as a chronic progressive course that can be altered, stabilized or improved by lifestyle modifications, pharmacotherapy and coronary revascularization. It has been introduced to replace the previous term ‘stable coron...
Article
Coronary in-stent restenosis
Coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) is referred to as an increasing loss of the stented arterial lumen after a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary stent placement which requires revascularization.
Terminology
However, there are different clinical and angiographic definitions:
...
Article
Roesler sign
Roesler sign is the name given to the inferior rib notching seen in coarctation of the aorta. Although by no means pathognomonic, the sign is fairly specific. Although many other causes of inferior rib notching have been recorded most of them are very rare 1.
Strictly-speaking it is only called...
Article
Adenosine
Adenosine is a vasodilating agent, which acts on the vascular smooth muscle surface and leads to vasodilation and a considerable increased vascular flow.
NB: This article aims to give a summarized description of adenosine. For detailed and exact information please refer to the information and d...
Article
Coronary stent thrombosis
Coronary stent thrombosis or scaffold thrombosis refers to a recent acute thrombus or occlusion in a coronary segment previously treated with a coronary stent or scaffold. It is a severe complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and a major adverse cardiovascular event.
Epidemiol...
Article
Neoplastic pericardial disease
Neoplastic pericardial disease, neoplastic pericardial involvement or neoplastic pericarditis refers to a pericardial infiltration by tumor cells usually associated with a variably sized pericardial effusion and is a form of non-infectious pericarditis. It needs to be differentiated from other c...
Article
Cardiac ischemia protocol (MRI)
The cardiac MRI ischemia or stress protocol encompasses a set of different MRI sequences for the assessment of myocardial ischemia.
Note: This article aims to frame a general concept of a cardiac MRI protocol in the setting of vasodilator stress perfusion testing.
Protocol specifics will vary ...
Article
Purulent pericarditis
Purulent pericarditis or pericardial empyema is a serious form of a bacterial, fungal or parasitic infection of the pericardium associated with a neutrophilic pericardial effusion.
Epidemiology
Purulent pericarditis is rare nowadays and makes up for <1% of pericarditis cases.
Risk factors
Fa...
Article
Coronary stent
Coronary stents or coronary artery stents are expandable tubular medical meshwork devices used for interventional treatment of coronary artery disease and prevention of negative remodeling and vascular recoil, restenosis as well as abrupt vessel occlusion from local coronary artery dissection af...
Article
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is the term used for the abrupt loss of cardiac pump function such that an adequate circulation cannot be maintained. Despite recent modest improvements in survival, it usually leads to death, if not immediately treated. Arrests may be in-hospital or out-of-hospital.
Epidemiolog...
Article
Valve of Vieussens
The valve of Vieussens is one of two valves of the coronary sinus, which can be found at the junction to the great cardiac vein in the majority of individuals and might be of clinical importance for specific cardiac catheterization procedures.
Variant anatomy
It can be found in 60-90% of indiv...
Article
Left marginal vein
The left marginal vein also known as the left obtuse marginal vein is one of the tributary veins of the coronary sinus and belongs to the greater coronary venous system.
Gross anatomy
The left marginal vein drains the lateral wall of the left ventricle and usually courses with one of the obtus...
Article
Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion
Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) also known as tricuspid annular motion refers to the displacement of the tricuspid valvular plane in the z-direction, reflects right ventricular longitudinal contraction or shortening.
Usage
Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion can be me...
Article
Sudden cardiac death
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a term used for an unexpected, non-traumatic fatal event in an otherwise healthy subject.
Epidemiology
Sudden cardiac death is estimated to account for about 50% of all cardiac deaths with first-time events making up more than 25% 1. The incidence ranges between 0...