Thoracic Key

Background Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is frequent and associated with poor prognosis. The complex anatomy of the right ventricle makes its echocardiographic assessment challenging. Quantification…

Background The mitral annulus displays complex conformational changes during the cardiac cycle that can now be quantified by three-dimensional echocardiography. Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is increasingly encountered, but its structural…

Background Libman-Sacks endocarditis, characterized by Libman-Sacks vegetations, is common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and is commonly complicated with embolic cerebrovascular disease. Thus, accurate detection of Libman-Sacks vegetations may…

Background Attention to resource utilization has led to increased scrutiny of the appropriateness of initial diagnostic imaging studies on the basis of current guidelines. Far less attention has been paid…

Background Although the highest aortic valve velocity was thought to be obtained from imaging windows other than the apex in about 20% of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), its…

Hypertension remains a major contributor to the global burden of disease. The measurement of blood pressure continues to have pitfalls related to both physiological aspects and acute variation. As the…