A Schmermund

..All in all, the risk-benefit relation is very favorable and better than for most other interventions...

..These subjects can then be treated efficiently, and the strict distinction between primary and secondary prevention is blurred...

..The interaction between therapeutic measures, progression of anatomical disease, and clinical course can be appreciated...

..However, it remains unclear if EBCT can add prognostic information compared with the clinical information derived from risk factor assessment, exercise stress testing, and coronary angiography...

..Large prospective trials in the general population are needed to define the subgroups that will benefit most from quantitative assessment of coronary calcium...

..This has already been successfully implemented in small patients groups. Validation in the individual patient is pending. Prospective, randomized therapeutic trials are expected to yield valuable knowledge for clinical practice...

..Further, a variety of risk factors are actively evaluated, including markers of the activity of atherosclerotic disease, thrombogenic risk, and genetic polymorphisms...

..From the medical point of view, a broader use of the well-proven and effective therapies of arteriosclerosis and its complications is clearly warranted...

..An increased rate of progression of coronary calcium seems to indicate a substantially increased risk for adverse cardiac events...

..Intracoronary thermography has the potential to provide insights into location and extent of inflammation as well as the prognostic consequences. Currently, this novel method and the underlying concepts are extensively evaluated...

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..Long-term treatment with irbesartan resulted in moderate enhancements of resting V(B) and F(M) compared with placebo, suggesting a role for coronary microcirculatory effects of chronic AT1 receptor blockade in preserving LVEF...

..These data indicate that baseline plaque burden determines the rate of progression of calcification. This appears to be a coronary systemic process, reflecting the natural history of coronary atherosclerosis...

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..Longitudinal EBCT examinations have emerged as another area of substantial clinical interest. The clinical value of this method remains to be defined, in particular, in comparison with competing, established modalities...

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..To investigate this, we evaluated patients with acute coronary syndromes by EBCT and compared the results with coronary angiography and, in patients with an indeterminate angiogram, intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS)...

..Besides established intracoronary Doppler parameters, heterogeneity of perfusion was assessed and related to early signs of atherosclerosis as determined by electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT)...

..44, p >0.5) or slope E (r = 0.30, p >0.2). Thus, E(M) and slope E may be preload-independent tools for assessing LV diastolic dysfunction in symptomatic patients with a pseudonormal mitral inflow pattern and elevated filling pressures...

..This study sought to determine whether noninvasive quantification of coronary calcium is comparable to selective coronary angiography in measuring the effect of cardiovascular risk factors on coronary atherosclerosis...

..CONCLUSIONS: In asymmetrically contracting left ventricles, the new myocardial centroid algorithm is superior to conventional methods for tomographic analysis of regional myocardial function...

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..To evaluate the value of 64-detector-row computed tomography for ruling out high-grade coronary stenoses in patients with a low to moderate pretest probability of significant coronary artery disease...

..Dysfunctional bypass grafts can be detected with high diagnostic accuracy. This technology can be used as a noninvasive test for patients with suspected graft dysfunction...

..The aim of the study was to examine the ability of a 64-slice MDCT to detect in-stent stenoses in an ex vivo model of coronary stents...

..The 6 Fr Angio-Seal device is a safe and effective device that allows for immediate closure of femoral puncture sites after both diagnostic and interventional procedures with a low rate of major complications...

..It might also be of value in the stratification of cardiovascular risk in patients with renal failure...

..Due to the rapid assessment of regional wall motion abnormalities, TDI might help to identify CAD in patients with normal systolic function...

..5) air pollution may accelerate the development and progression of atherosclerosis. We investigated the associations of long-term residential exposure to traffic and fine particulate matter with the degree of coronary atherosclerosis...

..Profound knowledge of the radiological differential diagnosis of the thoracic organs is necessary for reporting electron-beam tomographic scans, in order to avoid misdiagnosis and to receive a high quality interpretation...

..Thus, the relationship between insulin sensitivity and CFR in nondiabetic subjects is particularly interesting. The aim of the study was to investigate this relationship...

..We sought to identify and localize significant coronary stenoses on a segmental basis by electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) and intravenous administration of a contrast agent...

..14, P > 0.5). In conclusion, E(T) and the Q-E(T) interval appear to be useful parameters for assessing LV diastolic dysfunction in symptomatic patients with a pseudonormal mitral inflow pattern and elevated filling pressures...

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..The predictive value of modern imaging- and non-imaging-based markers of risk that can be used for risk stratification in masters endurance athletes still deserves exploration...

..Purpose of our study was to determine if homocysteine plasma levels are related to the risk of in-stent restenosis after percutaneous coronary stent implantation in de novo lesions...

..7%). The novel suture closure device is a safe and effective device that allows for immediate closure of femoral puncture sites after both diagnostic and interventional procedures with a low rate of major complications...

..The rationale of serial CAC quantification is discussed in this article.The Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study will contribute to the appraisal of new imaging modalities in risk stratification...

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..The goal of this study was to define the association between low QRS voltage and cardiac tamponade or pericardial effusion and to assess the reversibility of low QRS voltage after therapeutic procedures...

..We investigated the impact of the -786C allele at the promoter and the 894T allele in exon 7 of the gene encoding the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) on coronary vasomotor responses to exogenous and endogenous stimuli...

..Dual-source CT (DSCT) promises a significant reduction of radiation dose exposure for coronary CT angiography (CTA). Large studies on radiation dose estimates are rare...

..Lesions with positive remodeling show more plaque extrusion into the distal reference and less stent-induced vessel stretch than those with negative remodeling...

..The purpose of this study was to determine net reclassification improvement (NRI) and improved risk prediction based on coronary artery calcification (CAC) scoring in comparison with traditional risk factors...

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..This case report shows that gadolinium is a useful alternative contrast agent for cardiac intervention in patients with iodine-induced hyperthyroidism...

..In addition, it is still unclear, at what stage of the disease process, which of the available imaging tools will provide optimal diagnostic and prognostic value for the individual patient...

..Thus, tissue Doppler echocardiography is a feasible method for the on-line detection of myocardial asynchrony. Sensitivity and specificity of the findings have to be explored in further, prospectively randomized trials...

..The diastolic mitral anulus velocity assessed by tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) was suggested to provide additional information about LV relaxation less affected by filling pressures...

..This article summarizes all available published data with respect to clinical success, complications, and outcomes of endovascular stent-graft placement among patients with descending aortic dissection (AD)...

..To present a case in which thrombin was injected percutaneously to treat an aortic pseudoaneurysm...

..Further prospective studies are required to establish the clinical value of combined assessment of coronary calcium quantification and CTCA...

..The objective of this study was to investigate the results of endovascular stent-graft placement for the treatment of patients with PAUs...

..To identify determinants of postinterventional death after endovascular stent-graft placement for acute rupture of the descending thoracic aorta, an emerging therapeutic modality for this highly life-threatening condition...

..This report presents population-based estimates of the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), chronic critical limb ischemia (CLI), and Moenckeberg's medial calcinosis (MC) in Germany...

..We studied the association of CAC with ECG abnormalities in a general population without myocardial infarction or revascularization...

..However, a scanning protocol for modern MDCT has not been established. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the reconstruction interval within diastole and the reconstruction increment on the coronary calcium score...

..This represents the opportunity and the challenge of a proof of principle...

..The use of a collagen-based closure device is associated with a low rate of clinically significant complications...

..The aim of our study was to assess the association between CAC as a sign of subclinical CAD and CHF in a general unselected population...

..A diagnostic discrimination between these two situations may enable adequate therapeutic measures, limiting myocardial damage, and improving outcome...

..The purpose of this research was to assess the value of systemic inflammatory biomarkers in the detection of acute aortic dissection (AD)...

..Long-term flow adaptation is achieved by an increase in coronary lumen size, whereas short-term myocardial oxygen requirements are met by changes in resting flow velocity...

..To investigate the results of endovascular stent-graft placement for the treatment of patients with type B aortic dissection (B-AD)...

..To date, non-invasive indicators of early graft failure following coronary surgery are still of uncertain diagnostic value...

..Although this technique may harbour potential risks, the introduction of stent coating has the potential to dramatically reduce the incidence of restenosis and an exciting chapter in the field of cardiology has been opened...

..In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of very high coronary CSs in symptomatic males undergoing angiography and analyzed the impact of event definitions on identification of risk predictor's...

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..CONCLUSION: On the basis of current data niacin should be considered a valuable therapy component in patients with dyslipidemia, in which a monotherapy fails to optimize an increased risk of coronary artery disease...

..To report a case illustrating the utility of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) before planned stent-graft placement for chronic type B aortic dissection...

..To summarize the current clinical experience with endovascular stent-graft repair in patients presenting with penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer of the descending thoracic aorta...

..Our objective was to assess and compare the patterns of late enhancement (LE) in contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI caused by myocardial infarction and different myocardial diseases that are not related to ischemic infarction...

..However, in a significant proportion of patients (40%), who appear to be younger and more obese, medical therapy fails to achieve effective BP control despite use of a multiple drug regimen...

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..We aim to examine the relationship between the long-term residential exposure to traffic and prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD)...

..Long-term exposure to urban air pollution may accelerate atherogenesis, but mechanisms are still unclear. The induction of a low-grade systemic inflammatory state is a plausible mechanistic pathway...

..The putative neuroprotective effects of antiplatelet compounds and the angiotensin II receptor antagonist telmisartan were investigated in the Prevention Regimen for Effectively Avoiding Second Strokes (PRoFESS) trial...

..We hypothesized that the administration of beta-blockers prior to multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography has a significant impact on left ventricular functional parameters...

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..Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease. Biologic pathways for this association are not fully understood...

..1%) even with the most advanced CT scanners. Accurate and reproducible quantification of coronary calcium seems to require analysis of multiple reconstructions...

..We sought to define the role of the Tei index in patients with severe AS and to validate this index against conventional measures of systolic and diastolic LV function...

..Electron-beam computed tomography provides the opportunity to quantify the progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in serial measurements...

..The index is in the normal range in symptomatic patients with PMR and preserved systolic function. The Tei-index differentiates between patients with SMR and PMR and may be useful in the work-up of such patients...

..To assess left ventricular volumes and mass by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in relation to conventional cardiovascular risk factors and coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden in master marathon runners aged > or =50 years...

..This whole-body atherosclerosis MR screening program allows previously unknown concomitant vascular disease to be detected in coronary heart disease patients. Its prospective value should be assessed in further studies...

..The purpose of this article is to describe the principles and potentials of contrast-enhanced coronary CT imaging and to summarize the practical limitations with the currently available scanning equipment...