Items tagged “cardiology”
109 results found
Article
Cardiac blood pool scan
A multi-gated (MUGA) cardiac blood pool scan (sometimes just called a MUGA scan) is a common study performed in patients who are receiving potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy.
Indications
acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
coronary artery disease (CAD)
evaluation after coronary artery bypas...
Article
Cardiac myxoma
Cardiac myxomas, although uncommon are one of the commonest primary cardiac tumors and account for ~50% primary benign cardiac tumors.
Epidemiology
Cardiac myxomas are the most common primary cardiac tumor in adults (~50%) but are relatively infrequent in childhood, where cardiac rhabdomyomas...
Article
Congenital cardiovascular anomalies
Congenital cardiovascular anomalies are relatively common, with an incidence of up to 1% if small muscular ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are included. As a group, there is a much greater frequency in syndromic infants and in those that are stillborn.
Epidemiology
In a large study in the U...
Article
Hypertension
Hypertension refers to an increase in blood pressure above the 'normal' for the age, sex, and ethnicity of the patient. This can be specified according to the vascular system involved. Although generally when it is not specified it is assumed to refer to the systemic type.
systemic hypertension...
Article
Hoffman-Rigler sign (heart)
The Hoffman-Rigler sign is a sign of left ventricular enlargement inferred from the distance between the inferior vena cava (IVC) and left ventricle (LV).
Radiographic features
On a lateral chest radiograph, if the distance between the left ventricular border and the posterior border of IVC e...
Article
Left-sided superior vena cava
A left-sided superior vena cava (SVC) is the most common congenital venous anomaly in the chest, and in a minority of cases can result in a right-to-left shunt 3,4.
Epidemiology
A left-sided SVC is seen in 0.3-0.5% of the normal population and in ~5% of those with congenital heart disease 3. I...
Article
Mitral annular calcification
Mitral annular calcification refers to the deposition of calcium (along with lipid) in the annular fibrosa of the mitral valve.
Epidemiology
Annular calcification is seen in up to 35% of elderly patients. It is common in females over 65 years, in those with myxomatous degeneration of the mitra...
Article
Pericardial calcification
Pericardial calcification is usually seen in individual patients with a history of pericarditis and may be associated with constrictive pericarditis.
Pathology
Although historically infective pericarditis was the most common cause, a wide variety of insults can lead to calcification of the pe...
Article
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an illness caused by an immunological reaction following group A streptococcal infection.
Epidemiology
Risk factors include:
children and adolescents aged 5 to 15 years
developing nations where antibiotic prescription is low 1
poverty, overcrowding
Clinical presentation...
Article
Systemic hypertension
Systemic hypertension is defined medically as a blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg. Recently the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) have changed guidelines to indicate that pressures above 130/80 mmHg will be considered hypertension, however the Europe...
Article
Straight back syndrome
Straight back syndrome refers to decreased thoracic kyphosis ("flattening") and decreased anteroposterior thoracic diameter, such that there is compression of cardiovascular or bronchial structures.
It should not be confused with flat back syndrome, which refers to decreased lumbar lordosis, o...
Article
Flat floor of fourth ventricle sign
The flat floor of fourth ventricle sign is useful in detecting a pontine mass and is a sign of mass effect. The normal floor of the fourth ventricle (remember that the floor is anterior) normally slopes upwards towards the midline, with the facial colliculi visible on either side.
It is a non-...
Article
Atrial septal defect
Atrial septal defect (ASD) is the second most common congenital heart defect after ventricular septal defect (VSD). Diagnosis is often delayed until adulthood when complications arise such as atrial arrhythmias or pulmonary hypertension. The radiologist may be the first to suggest the diagnosis ...
Article
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a type of cardiomyopathy defined by left ventricular hypertrophy which cannot otherwise be explained by another cardiac or systemic disease. It is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in infants, teenagers, and young adults.
Terminology
Although hypert...
Article
Chest radiograph assessment using ABCDEFGHI
ABCDEFGHI can be used to guide a systematic interpretation of chest x-rays.
Assessment of quality / Airway
The quality of the image can be assessed using the mnemonic PIER:
position: is this a supine AP file? PA? Lateral?
inspiration: count the posterior ribs. You should see 10 to 11 ribs wi...
Article
Pulmonary pseudotumor
A pulmonary pseudotumor is no more than 'something' which mimics a tumor.
Most frequently it is caused by a loculated pleural effusion (pleural pseudotumor) trapped in the pleural fissures. Other entities which have been described with the term pseudotumors include:
round atelectasis
p...
Article
Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart condition with many cases presenting after the newborn period. It has been classically characterized by the combination of ventricular septal defect (VSD), right ventricular outflow tract obstruction (RVOTO), overriding aorta...
Article
Fetal heart beat
Fetal heart beat can be detected as early as 34 days (just under 6 weeks) gestation on good quality, high frequency transvaginal ultrasound, as a crown rump length (CRL) of as little as 1-2 mm.
If a fetal heartbeat cannot be identified with a CRL ≥7 mm using transvaginal scanning, then embryona...
Article
Ebstein anomaly
Ebstein anomaly is an uncommon congenital cardiac anomaly, characterized by a variable developmental anomaly of the tricuspid valve.
Epidemiology
The anomaly accounts for only ~0.5% of congenital cardiac defects 6,7, although it is the most common cause of congenital tricuspid regurgitation. T...
Article
Heart
The heart is a hollow, muscular organ of the middle mediastinum, designed to pump oxygenated blood around the systemic circulation and deoxygenated blood around the pulmonary circulation.
Gross anatomy
The heart has a somewhat pyramidal form and is enclosed by the pericardium. Its base (roughl...