Tenting angles of all three leaflets increase, whereas annulus diameters decrease, after TAP. Pre-TAP tenting volume and antero-posterior annulus diameter measured using RT3DE are independent predictors of residual TR severity, and measurement of these parameters may help to identify patients at high risk for severe residual TR, for whom TV replacement should possibly be initially considered.

Because 2D planimetry tends to overestimate MVA, 3D TOE should be considered for accurate MVA assessment, especially in patients with a large LA and large Mα.

Background-The clinical characteristics that identify high-risk subsets of patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have not been well established. Methods and Results-Between January 2000 and June 2006, 2240 patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease underwent PCI (nϭ1102) or CABG (nϭ1138). Twenty-six preprocedural parameters were evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis to identify independent predictors of all-cause mortality and target-vessel revascularization. Interaction tests were performed to compare heterogeneities of effects of preprocedural parameters depending on the revascularization methods. During follow-up (median of 3.1 years), 187 patients died (78 PCI and 109 CABG) and 149 patients had target-vessel revascularization (121 PCI and 28 CABG). EuroSCORE Ն6 was an independent predictor of death in both groups. Additional independent predictors were chronic renal failure and previous congestive heart failure in the PCI group and age Ն75 years, atrial fibrillation, right coronary artery disease, and left main distal bifurcation disease in the CABG group. Interaction analysis showed no heterogeneities of the effects of variables depending on the revascularization methods. Independent predictors of target-vessel revascularization were acute coronary syndrome and left main distal bifurcation disease in the PCI group and history of coronary intervention in the CABG group. The interaction between previous PCI and treatment remained after adjustment for all independent predictors of target-vessel revascularization (interaction Pϭ0.0345). Conclusions-Several

No abstract

Endurance exercise protects the heart via effects on autonomic control of heart rate (HR); however, its effects on HR indices in healthy middle-aged men are unclear. This study compared HR profiles, including resting HR, increase in HR during exercise and HR recovery after exercise, in middle-aged athletes and controls. Fifty endurance-trained athletes and 50 controls (all male; mean age, 48·7 ± 5·8 years) performed an incremental symptom-limited exercise treadmill test. The electrocardiographic findings and HR profiles were evaluated. Maximal O2 uptake (52·6 ± 7·0 versus 34·8 ± 4·5 ml kg(-1)  min(-1) ; P<0·001) and the metabolic equivalent of task (15·4 ± 1·6 versus 12·2 ± 1·5; P<0·001) were significantly higher in athletes than in controls. Resting HR was significantly lower in athletes than in controls (62·8 ± 6·7 versus 74·0 ± 10·4 beats per minute (bpm), respectively; P<0·001). Athletes showed a greater increase in HR during exercise than controls (110·1 ± 11·0 versus 88·1 ± 15·4 bpm; P<0·001); however, there was no significant between-group difference in HR recovery at 1 min after cessation of exercise (22·9 ± 5·6 versus 21·3 ± 6·7 bpm; P = 0·20). Additionally, athletes showed a lower incidence of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) during exercise (0·0% versus 24·0%; P<0·001). Healthy middle-aged men participating in regular endurance exercise showed more favourable exercise HR profiles and a lower incidence of PVCs during exercise than sedentary men. These results reflect the beneficial effect of endurance training on autonomic control of the heart.

No abstract

Background Both stress cardiomyopathy (SCMP) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) present with similar clinical symptoms and signs, and apical akinesis. Hypothesis: Quantitative segmental analysis of myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) helps to differentiate AMI from SCMP. Methods Real‐time MCE was performed in 33 consecutive patients who presented with an acute symptom/sign and a new apical akinesis on echocardiography. In 18 left ventricular (LV) myocardial segments, a replenishment curve was obtained in each segment to measure peak plateau myocardial contrast intensity (MCI) (A) and the replenishment curve slope (β). The calibrated MCI was also measured in each segment. Results Among 33 patients, 22 were diagnosed with SCMP and 11 were diagnosed with AMI according to comprehensive diagnostic criteria. A, β, Aβ, and the calibrated MCI were lower in akinetic than in normokinetic segments in both the SCMP and AMI groups. In the akinetic segments, A, β, Aβ, and the calibrated MCI in SCMP patients were each higher than those in AMI patients. In patient‐based analyses, areas under the ROC curves of A, β, Aβ, and the calibrated MCI for diagnosing AMI were 0.769, 0.607, 0.822, and 0.934, respectively. The optimal cutoff values to diagnose AMI were Aβ < 3.7 dB/sec (sensitivity 82%, specificity 82%) and a calibrated MCI < −23 dB (sensitivity 91%, specificity 95%). Conclusions Although myocardial perfusion is relatively reduced in the akinetic segments of SCMP, a quantitative segmental analysis of myocardial perfusion using MCE helps to discriminate AMI from SCMP.

OBJECTIVES The long-term clinical benefits of atrial septal defect (ASD) closure remain controversial. We aimed to compare long-term clinical outcomes between patients who underwent early surgical closure after ASD diagnosis and those who did not. METHODS Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we identified patients with isolated ASDs diagnosed between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2006. The ASD patients who underwent closure surgery within 6 months after diagnosis were allocated to the early-closure group and the rest were allocated to the conservative-strategy group. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were atrial flutter/fibrillation (AFF) and ischaemic stroke. RESULTS Among patients without a history of AFF or stroke, 1644 patients in the early-closure group were propensity score matched to 1644 patients in the conservative-strategy group and their median follow-up durations were 12.9 and 12.8 years, respectively. The early closure was associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.55 [95% confidence interval, 0.43–0.70]). In an age-stratified analysis, significant mortality reductions in the early-closure group were found in patients aged 40 years or older. The risk of AFF was significantly higher in the early-closure group, which might be mainly ascribed to postoperative transient AFF, while there was no difference in ischaemic stroke between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that timely ASD closure without delay is necessary for ASD patients without previous history of clinical events, especially in patients aged 40 years or older.