Quello strano dolore toracico

Myocarditis is a rare pathologic condition in paediatric age. It occurs above all in childhood and adolescence. Generally, it is brought about by a typical association with viral infections that cause a massive activation of the inflammatory cascade accountable for the damage in the myocardial tissue. Onset symptoms are not specific and do not often appear to be of cardiac origin, mostly in the youngest children. On the contrary, during adolescence, thoracic pain is likely to be present in the clinical scenario as in the reported case. Laboratory tests, electrocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography can help focus the clinical picture and especially cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is becoming a useful non-invasive investigative method. In contrast endomyocardial biopsy along with histoimmunological analysis is less used given its invasiveness and possible complications. The role of paediatricians is to recognize the patient at risk and promptly address them to the most appropriate diagnostic-therapeutic pathway.

Download Full-text

The role of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of the functionally single ventricle before and after conversion to the Fontan circulation

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951105001642 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 15 (S3) ◽

pp. 51-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Pierluigi Festa ◽

Lamia Ait Ali ◽

Massimo Bernabei ◽

Daniele De Marchi

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Fontan Circulation ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Full Spectrum ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Current Review ◽

Future Clinical Practice ◽

Before And After

Magnetic resonance imaging is a powerful diagnostic tool, able to give us accurate anatomical and functional insights concerning the structure of the heart, and capable of overcoming some of the drawbacks and limitations of echocardiography and catheterization. The aim of our current review is to highlight the advantages and applications of the technique in the evaluation of patients with functionally univentricular hearts before and after conversion to the Fontan circulation. Most of these patients will have undergone surgery several times in their life, with a certain body size, and with less than optimal echocardiographic windows because of the surgical scars. Moreover, vascular access is sometimes unavailable due to previous catheterizations. Furthermore, resonance imaging is non-invasive, and can be performed without sedation in patients older than 8 years. Since many of the current techniques, some of them still experimental, will be used extensively in future clinical practice, physicians should be aware of the full spectrum of capabilities of resonance imaging. We will highlight all these applications in the sections which follow.

Download Full-text

THE ROLE OF INVASIVE AND NON-INVASIVE MEASUREMENTS OF HVPG IN DECISION MAKING IN PATIENTS WITH PORTAL HYPERTENSION AND ESOPHAGEAL VARICES

Wiadomości Lekarskie ◽

10.36740/wlek202102128 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 321-326

Author(s):

Adam Kern ◽

Tomasz Arłukowicz ◽

Krystian Bojko ◽

Leszek Gromadziński ◽

Jacek Bil

Keyword(s):

Portal Hypertension ◽

Venous Pressure ◽

Portal Pressure ◽

Diameter Ratio ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Liver Disorders ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Favorable Safety ◽

Invasive Techniques

Many researchers and clinicians have taken the value of hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) as an essential prognostic factor in subjects with chronic liver disorders. And HVPG alterations characterize a predictive value in subjects at the beginning of the disease (HVPG 6 – 10 mmHg) as well as in subjects in whom hemodynamically significant portal hypertension has developed (HVPG ≥ 10 mmHg). Our review aims to present the feasibility and applicability of HVPG in modern clinical practice in patients with liver cirrhosis, including invasive and non-invasive methods. HVPG measurement is a feasible method with a favorable safety profile. However, hemodynamically significant portal hypertension also might be determined using non-invasive options as elastography, magnetic resonance imaging, and indices derived from laboratory parameters, e.g., aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio, platelet count/spleen diameter ratio, or VITRO score. Hepatic vein catheterization with the evaluation of HVPG is the current gold standard for determining portal pressure; however, new non-invasive techniques are nowadays more frequently used.

Download Full-text

Cartilage Micrografts as a Novel Non-Invasive and Non-Arthroscopic Autograft Procedure for Knee Chondropathy: Three-Year Follow-Up Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10020322 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 322

Author(s):

Marco Marcarelli ◽

Marcello Zappia ◽

Lorenzo Rissolio ◽

Chiara Baroni ◽

Carlo Astarita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxford Knee Score ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Follow Up Study ◽

Chondral Defects ◽

Before And After ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri

(1) Background: Focal chondral defects of the knee can significantly impair patient quality of life. Although different options are available, they are still not conclusive and have several limitations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of autologous cartilage micrografts in the treatment of knee chondropathy. (2) Methods: Eight patients affected by knee chondropathy were evaluated before and after 6 months and 3 years following autologous cartilage micrografts by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for cartilage measurement and clinical assessment. (3) Results: All patients recovered daily activities, reporting pain reduction without the need for analgesic therapy; Oxford Knee Score (OKS) was 28.4 ± 6 and 40.8 ± 6.2 and visual analogue scale (VAS) was 5.5 ± 1.6 and 1.8 ± 0.7 before and after 6 months following treatment, respectively. Both scores remained stable after 3 years. Lastly, a significant improvement of the cartilage thickness was observed using MRI after 3 years. (4) Conclusions: Autologous cartilage micrografts can promote the formation of new cartilage, and could be a valid approach for the treatment of knee chondropathy.

Download Full-text

Magnetic resonance imaging in Chagas' heart disease

Sao Paulo Medical Journal ◽

10.1590/s1516-31801995000200022 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 113 (2) ◽

pp. 880-883 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Roberto Kalil Filho ◽

Cicero Piva de Albuquerque

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Metabolic Status ◽

Myocardial Tissue ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Promising Technique ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Chagas Heart Disease

Many important aspects of Chagas' heart disease can be successfully assessed using magnetic resonance imaging of the heart. It is possible to obtain with great detail the anatomic characterization of the cardiac chambers as well as important information of the functional or metabolic status of the heart. Magnetic resonance imaging after gadolinium infusion seems also a promising technique to obtain a better regional characterization of myocardial tissue, and may be important in the non-invasive diagnosis of active myocarditis in patients with Chagas' heart disease.

Download Full-text

Movements of the Glottis During Horn Performance: A Pilot Study

Medical Problems of Performing Artists ◽

10.21091/mppa.2017.1007 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 33-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peter W Iltis ◽

Sarah L Gillespie ◽

Jens Frahm ◽

Dirk Voit ◽

Arun Joseph ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vertical Movement ◽

Acquisition Time ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Advanced Level ◽

Non Invasive ◽

The Past ◽

Dynamic Level ◽

Technological Limitations ◽

Serial Images

OBJECTIVE: The functional role of the glottis in brass performance is poorly understood and controversial, particularly with respect to pedagogy. Technological limitations have prevented the non-invasive, systematic study of the glottis in the past, but developments in real-time magnetic resonance imaging (RT-MRI) allow representations of glottal movement during performance on a MRI-compatible horn to be recorded and quantified. METHODS: We present RT-MRI data obtained on 6 advanced-level horn players from serial images acquired at an acquisition time of 33.3 ms as they performed sustained note exercises on three notes (concert Eb2, Eb4, and Bb4) at each of three dynamics (pp, mf, and ff) and a staccato exercise. An advanced-level trumpet player was also studied performing a modification of the staccato exercise designed to minimize vertical movement of the larynx. Glottal movements and positions in the coronal plane were analyzed using a customized MATLAB toolkit. RESULTS: In sustained note playing, there is a significant influence of dynamic on the degree of glottal adduction/abduction. There is greater adduction with softer notes, and greater abduction with louder notes. In slow staccato playing, glottal closure accompanies the cessation of each note and persists until iteration of the next note in the sequence. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that RT-MRI provides a suitable method to identify and quantify glottal movement during horn playing. We further show that there is a direct relationship between dynamic level and glottal adduction/abduction, and that the glottis is involved in performing notes during slow staccato playing.

Download Full-text

Cardiac amyloidosis: non-invasive diagnosis

Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira ◽

10.1590/1806-9282.66.3.345 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 345-352

Author(s):

Viviane Tiemi Hotta ◽

Maria Clementina Pinto Giorgi ◽

Fábio Fernandes ◽

Maria Cristina Donadio Abduch ◽

Andréa Maria Gomes Marinho Falcão ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Amyloidosis ◽

Multimodality Imaging ◽

Clinical Suspicion ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Cardiac Biomarkers ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Definition Of ◽

High Degree

SUMMARY Cardiac amyloidosis is an infiltrative disease which requires a high degree of clinical suspicion for appropriate diagnosis. Early diagnosis and the definition of the type of amyloidosis play a key role in the early treatment and prognosis of this disease. In this context, the use of cardiac biomarkers such as troponins and NT-proBNT associated with analysis by multimodality imaging methods like echocardiographic techniques such as strain, nuclear medicine, and cardiovascular resonance imaging have an increasing role in patients with cardiac amyloidosis. This article details the role of non-invasive diagnostic methods in patients with cardiac amyloidosis.

Download Full-text

Graves’ ophtalmopathy and dysthyroid optic neuropathy: Imaging studies for diagnosis

Romanian Journal of Medical Practice ◽

10.37897/rjmp.2021.2.11 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 168-173

Author(s):

Mihai Leonard C. GRECESCU ◽

◽

Keyword(s):

Laboratory Tests ◽

Thyroid Dysfunction ◽

Doppler Imaging ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Imaging Studies ◽

Colour Doppler ◽

Morphological Findings ◽

Colour Doppler Imaging

The diagnosis of Graves’ ophtalmopathy (GO) is based on clinical examination, laboratory tests (indicating thyroid dysfunction and inflammatory and autoimmune unbalance) and imaging studies (such computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and colour Doppler imaging). Imaging studies can be helpful in establishing the certain diagnosis of GO, because they provide objective morphological findings of the orbital structures. An important role of imaging studies is revealed in differential diagnosis versus other orbital diseases and can be also used to evaluate the progression of the disease and follow-up after clinical or surgical treatment.

Download Full-text