Coronary atherosclerosis may develop at an early age and remain latent for many years. To define characteristics of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis associated with the development of myocardial infarction. Prospective observational cohort study. Copenhagen General Population Study, Denmark. 9533 asymptomatic persons aged 40 years or older without known ischemic heart disease. Subclinical coronary atherosclerosis was assessed with coronary computed tomography angiography conducted blinded to treatment and outcomes. Coronary atherosclerosis was characterized according to luminal obstruction (nonobstructive or obstructive [≥50% luminal stenosis]) and extent (nonextensive or extensive [one third or more of the coronary tree]). The primary outcome was myocardial infarction, and the secondary outcome was a composite of death or myocardial infarction. A total of 5114 (54%) persons had no subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, 3483 (36%) had nonobstructive disease, and 936 (10%) had obstructive disease. Within a median follow-up of 3.5 years (range, 0.1 to 8.9 years), 193 persons died and 71 had myocardial infarction. The risk for myocardial infarction was increased in persons with obstructive (adjusted relative risk, 9.19 [95% CI, 4.49 to 18.11]) and extensive (7.65 [CI, 3.53 to 16.57]) disease. The highest risk for myocardial infarction was noted in persons with obstructive-extensive subclinical coronary atherosclerosis (adjusted relative risk, 12.48 [CI, 5.50 to 28.12]) or obstructive-nonextensive (adjusted relative risk, 8.28 [CI, 3.75 to 18.32]). The risk for the composite end point of death or myocardial infarction was increased in persons with extensive disease, regardless of degree of obstruction-for example, nonobstructive-extensive (adjusted relative risk, 2.70 [CI, 1.72 to 4.25]) and obstructive-extensive (adjusted relative risk, 3.15 [CI, 2.05 to 4.83]). Mostly White persons were studied. In asymptomatic persons, subclinical, obstructive coronary atherosclerosis is associated with a more than 8-fold elevated risk for myocardial infarction. AP Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Fond.

The Official Journal of EuroPCR and the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI)

Several cardiac imaging modalities are able to visualize the left atrium (LA) and, therefore, allow for quantification of both structural and functional properties of this cardiac chamber. In echocardiography, only the maximal LA volume is included in the assessment of diastolic function at the current moment. Numerous studies, however, have shown that functional measures may be superior to the maximal LA volume in several aspects and to possess clinical value even in the absence of structural abnormalities. Such functional measures could prove particularly useful in the setting of predicting atrial fibrillation, which will be a point of focus in this review. Pivotal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging studies have revealed high correlation between LA fibrosis and risk of atrial fibrillation recurrence after catheter ablation, and subsequent multimodality imaging studies have uncovered an inverse relationship between LA reservoir function and degree of LA fibrosis. This has sparked an increased interest into the application of advanced imaging modalities, including both speckle tracking echocardiography and tissue tracking by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Even though increasing evidence has supported the use of functional measures and proven its superiority to the maximal LA volume, they have still not been adopted in clinical guidelines. The reason for this discrepancy may rely on the fact that there is little to no agreement on how to technically perform deformation analysis of the LA. Such technical considerations, limitations, and alternate imaging prospects will be addressed in this review.

Aims: Accurate assessment of aortic dimensions can be achieved using contrast-enhanced computed tomography. The aim of this study was to define normal values and determinants of aortic dimensions throughout multiple key anatomical landmarks of the aorta in healthy individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study.Methods and results: The study group consisted of 902 healthy subjects selected from 3000 adults undergoing cardiovascular thoracic and abdominal computed tomography-angiography (CTA), where systematic measurements of aortic dimensions were performed retrospectively. Individuals included were without any of the following predefined cardiovascular risk factors: (i) self-reported angina pectoris; (ii) hypertension; (iii) hypercholesterolaemia; (iv) taking cardiovascular prescribed medication including diuretics, statins, or aspirin; (v) overweight (defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2); (vi) diabetes mellitus (self-reported or blood glucose >8 mmol/L); and (vii) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Maximal aortic diameters were measured at seven aortic regions: sinuses of Valsalva, sinotubular junction, ascending aorta, mid-descending aorta, abdominal aorta at the diaphragm, abdominal aorta at the coeliac trunk, and infrarenal abdominal aorta. Median age was 52 years, and 396 (40%) were men. Men had significantly larger aortic diameters at all levels compared with women (P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that sex, age, and body surface area were associated with increasing aortic dimensions.Conclusion: Normal values of maximal aortic dimensions at key aortic anatomical locations by contrast-enhanced CTA have been defined. Age, sex, and body surface area were significantly associated with these measures at all levels of aorta. Aortic dimensions follow an almost identical pattern throughout the vessel regardless of sex.

To define normal values of the cardiac time intervals obtained by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) M-mode through the mitral valve (MV). Furthermore, to evaluate the association of the myocardial performance index (MPI) obtained by TDI M-mode (MPI_TDI) and the conventional method of obtaining MPI (MPI_Conv), with established echocardiographic and invasive measures of systolic and diastolic function. In a large community based population study (n = 974), where all are free of any cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors, cardiac time intervals, including isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), isovolumic contraction time (IVCT), and ejection time (ET) were obtained by TDI M-mode through the MV. IVCT/ET, IVRT/ET and the MPI ((IVRT+IVCT)/ET) were calculated. We also included a validation population (n = 44) of patients who underwent left heart catheterization and had the MPI_TDI and MPI_Conv measured. IVRT, IVRT/ET and MPI all increased significantly with increasing age in both genders (p<0.001 for all). IVCT, ET, IVRT/ET, and MPI differed significantly between males and females, displaying that women, in general exhibit better cardiac function. MPI_TDI was significantly associated with invasive (dP/dt max) and echocardiographic measures of systolic (LVEF, global longitudinal strain and global strainrate s) and diastolic function (e’, global strainrate e)(p<0.05 for all), whereas MPI_Conv was significantly associated with LVEF, e’ and global strainrate e (p<0.05 for all). Normal values of cardiac time intervals differed between genders and deteriorated with increasing age. The MPI_TDI (but not MPI_Conv) is associated with most invasive and established echocardiographic measures of systolic and diastolic function.