Background-Progressive cardiomyopathy is a common cause of death in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), presumably secondary to fibrosis of the myocardium. The posterobasal and left lateral free wall of the left ventricle (LV) are initial sites of myocardial fibrosis pathologically. The purposes of this study were to assess whether cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), utilizing late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), could identify fibrosis in selective areas of the myocardium, and to assess the relationship of the presence and extent of fibrosis to LV function.

In the fetus with critical left heart obstruction, a threshold forward/reverse time-velocity integral ratio of 3 or less optimizes specificity for predicting emergency atrial septostomy. Most late second trimester values will not change over time with regard to threshold levels.

Liquefactive necrosis within a large spheroid zone of mitral annular calcification (LNMAC) is an atypical but increasingly recognized variant of mitral annular calcification (MAC). Proposed MRI, echo, and CT imaging criteria for diagnosis of this unusual disease entity are discussed along with a review of the prognosis, histopathology, and management implications. A comprehensive ECHO, CT, and MRI imaging approach to diagnostic differentiation from other cardiac masses, allowing characterization of the differing components of this unusual lesion is emphasized. Differentiation from surrounding myocardium, and demonstration of peripheral ring type hyperenhancement, or hyperintense signal in the wall of this lesion, seen with specific inversion recovery MRI sequences is presented as a major diagnostic criterion. The relationship of these MRI image findings to underlying pathology is also discussed. An illustrative case vignette is provided for clinical reference.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is extremely rare in children, and unlike the adult disease, the etiology of the infarction is rarely due to atherosclerotic coronary disease. This unique reported case involved a 15-year-old boy with severe chest pain who presented with an ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction secondary to in situ thrombus formation in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. The initial electrocardiogram (ECG) had a Q-wave pattern in V6 and ST depression in the inferior leads with ST-segment elevation in reciprocal leads. The cardiac enzymes and routine labs showed evidence of myocardial damage. The boy was urgently taken to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for percutaneous coronary intervention, where complete occlusion of the LAD was found and successfully stented. Eventually, a peripheral blood smear showed pancytopenia with 38 % hypergranular blast-like cells consistent with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chemotherapy with all-transretinoic acid was implemented. This first pediatric case report of an AML-associated AMI emphasizes the benefit resulting from expedient reperfusion of the ischemic myocardium by quick reestablishment of coronary perfusion. It also emphasizes the limitations of existing noninvasive technologies in detecting myocardial viability.

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