The clinical diagnosis of patients with non-obstructive coronaries and positive troponin remains a challenge. The concordance between CMR and clinical diagnosis is poor. CMR provides a diagnosis in majority of these patients.

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au/. Unique identifier: 12610000280000.

No abstract

Strain by speckle tracking echocardiography and strain rate by tissue velocity imaging may offer complementary information in the evaluation of RV contractility and its functional effects.

Acute changes are observed in PWV and distensibility at the AA following contemporary breast cancer chemotherapy and partially reverse a year after therapy is discontinued, with more severe effects seen with anthracyclines.

CMR GUIDE trial will add substantially to our understanding of the role of myocardial fibrosis and the risk of developing life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. If the superiority of a CMR-guided approach over standard care is proven, it may change international clinical guidelines, with the potential to considerably increase survival in this growing patient population.

BackgroundRecently pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) has been shown to be an independent predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF). Atrial PAT may influence underlying atrial musculature creating a substrate for AF. This study sought to validate the assessment of total and atrial PAT by standard cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) measures and describe and validate a three dimensional atrial PAT model.Methods10 merino cross sheep underwent CMR using a 1.5 Tesla system (Siemens, Sonata, Erlangen, Germany). Atrial and ventricular short axis (SA) images were acquired, using ECG -gated steady state free precession sequences. In order to quantify total volume of adipose tissue, a three dimensional model was constructed from consecutive end-diastolic images using semi-automated software. Regions of adipose tissue were marked in each slice followed by linear interpolation of pixel intensities in spaces between consecutive image slices. Total volume of adipose tissue was calculated as a total volume of the three dimensional model and the mass estimated from volume measurements. The sheep were euthanized and pericardial adipose tissue was removed and weighed for comparison to the corresponding CMR measurements.ResultsAll CMR adipose tissue estimates significantly correlated with autopsy measurements (ICC > 0.80; p < 0.03). Intra- observer reliability in CMR measures was high, with 95% levels of agreement within 5.5% (ICC = 0.995) for total fat mass and its individual atrial (95% CI ± 8.3%, ICC = 0.993) and ventricular components (95% CI ± 6.6%, ICC = 0.989). Inter- observer 95% limits of agreement were within ± 10.7% (ICC = 0.979), 7.4% (ICC = 0.991) and 7.2% (ICC = 0.991) for atrial, ventricular and total pericardial adipose tissue, respectively.ConclusionThis study validates the use of a semi-automated three dimensional atrial PAT model utilizing standard (clinical) CMR sequences for accurate and reproducible assessment of atrial PAT. The measurement of local cardiac fat stores via this methodology could provide a sensitive tool to examine the regional effect of fat deposition on atrial substrate which potentially may influence AF ablation strategies in obese patients.

Background/aim: Cardiotoxicity is a potential complication of anticancer therapy. While guidelines have been developed to assist practitioners, an effective, evidence based clinical pathway for the treatment of cardiotoxicity has not yet been developed. The aim of this study was to describe the journey of patients who developed cardiotoxicity through the healthcare system in order to establish baseline data to inform the development and implementation of a patient-centred, evidence-based clinical pathway. Methods: Mixed-methods design with quantitative and qualitative components using process mapping at 3 large medical centres in 2 states between 2010 and 2015. Results: Fifty (50) confirmed cases of cardiotoxicity were reviewed (39 medical record reviews, 7 medical record review and interviews and 4 internview only). The mean age at cancer diagnosis of this group was 53.3 years (range 6-89 years); 50% female; 30% breast cancer, 23% non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; mean chemotherapy cycles 5.2 (median 6; range 1-18); 49 (89%) presented to chemotherapy with pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors; 39 (85%) had at least one modifiable risk factor and 11 (24%) had more than 4; 44 (96%) were diagnosed by echocardiogram and 27 (57%) were referred to a cardiologist (only 7 (15%) before chemotherapy). Post chemotherapy, 22 (48%) patients were referred to a multidisciplinary heart failure clinic; 8 (17%) to cardiac rehabilitation; 1 (2%) to cancer survivorship clinic and 10 (22%) to a palliative care service. There were 16 (34%) deaths during the timeframe of the study; 4 (25%) cardiac-related, 6 (38%) cancer-related, 4 (25%) due to sepsis and 2 (12%) other causes not recorded. The main concerns participants raised during the interviews were cancer professionals not discussing the potential for cardiotoxicity with them prior to treatment, nor risk modification strategies; a need for health education, particularly regarding risks for developing heart failure related to cancer treatment; and a lack of collaboration between oncologists and cardiologists. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the clinical management of cancer patients with cardiotoxicity was variable and fragmented and not patient centered. This audit establishes practice gaps that can be addressed through the design of an evidence-based clinical pathway for cancer patients with, or at risk, of cardiotoxicity.