This article reviews the most relevant literature published in 2021 on the role of cardiovascular imaging in cardiovascular medicine. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continued to impact the... Show moreThis article reviews the most relevant literature published in 2021 on the role of cardiovascular imaging in cardiovascular medicine. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continued to impact the healthcare landscape, resulting in reduced access to hospital-based cardiovascular care including reduced routine diagnostic cardiovascular testing. However, imaging has also facilitated the understanding of the presence and extent of myocardial damage caused by the coronavirus infection. What has dominated the imaging literature beyond the pandemic are novel data on valvular heart disease, the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) applied to imaging, and the use of advanced imaging modalities in both ischaemic heart disease and cardiac amyloidosis. Show less
The primary objective of this dissertation is to determine the diagnostic performance of 320-row CTA for cardiac applications, particularly in the assessment of significant coronary stenosis in... Show moreThe primary objective of this dissertation is to determine the diagnostic performance of 320-row CTA for cardiac applications, particularly in the assessment of significant coronary stenosis in patients with known or suspected CAD. It was shown that 320-row CTA allows accurate, non-invasive assessment of significant CAD and global left ventricular function in patients with suspected CAD, as well as in patients with a history of revascularization. Furthermore, the prognostic value of CTA and its role in clinical management of patients with suspected CAD were investigated. The potential of CTA to serve as a gatekeeper prior to CTA was explored. It was shown that CTA has the potential to serve as a gatekeeper for invasive coronary angiography in patients with a low-to-intermediate pre-test likelihood of obstructive CAD. Subsequently, it was shown that the assessment of left ventricular function analysis on CTA may further enhance risk stratification beyond the assessment of degree of stenosis. Finally, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the combined presence of increased waist circumference and elevated plasma triglyceride levels was shown to translate into an increased likelihood of CAD on CTA and may therefore serve as a practical clinical biomarker to improve risk stratification. Show less
Chapter 1 reviews technical developments of cardiac CT and current status, recommendations and future perspective of various clinical cardiac CT applications. In chapter 2, the eff ect of dose... Show moreChapter 1 reviews technical developments of cardiac CT and current status, recommendations and future perspective of various clinical cardiac CT applications. In chapter 2, the eff ect of dose reduction on diagnostic performance in CT coronary angiography is assessed. Chapter 3 evaluates the eff ect of thin-slice image reconstructions on coronary artery calcium measurements. In chapter 4, the assessment of Agatston scores using coronary CT angiography is studied. Chapter 5 evaluates the predictive value of CT-derived RV/LV ratios and cardiac biomarkers for short term clinical outcome in patients with suspected acute PE. In chapter 6, the incremental value of ventricular function with ECG-synchronized cardiac CT over standard pulmonary CTA-derived RV/LV ratios for predicting clinical outcome in patients with suspected acute PE is discussed. Chapter 7 studies the influence of timing of NT-pro-BNP sampling for predicting adverse clinical outcome. Show less
Graaf, F.R. de; Werkhoven, J.M. van; Velzen, J. van; Boogers, M.; Antoni, L.; Kroft, L.; ... ; Bax, J.J. 2010