Abstract Background Three-dimensional echocardiography (3D ECHO) allows the generation of a volume-time curve representative of changes in the left ventricular (LV) volume throughout the entire cardiac cycle. Objective This study aims to demonstrate the hemodynamic adaptations present in Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC) by means of the volume and flow measurements obtained by the volume-time curve by 3D ECHO. Methods Twenty patients with CC and 15 healthy subjects were prospectively enrolled in a cross-sectional design study. 3D ECHO was performed in all […]

Background: New echocardiographic techniques are used in the diagnosis and prognosis of many heart diseases. However, reference values in different populations are still needed for several of these new indexes. We studied these new echocardiographic parameters in a group of Brazilians with no known cardiovascular disease. Objective: To study values for new echocardiographic indexes in Brazilians without known cardiovascular disease and their correlation with age. Methods: Cross-sectional study that included healthy individuals who underwent three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and two-dimensional speckle […]

A 61-year-old female patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and no other comorbidities, was referred for cardiological assessment due to aggravated exertional dyspnea (New York Heart Association – NYHA class III) and atypical chest pain. Physical examination disclosed only a diastolic murmur in the second intercostal space in the right sternal border. The transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) showed aortic regurgitation (), with non-dilated cardiac chambers and preserved biventricular function. The acoustic window limited the evaluation of the valvular lesion severity and […]

We have read with great interest the paper entitled ‘First results of the Brazilian Registry of Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure’ by Guérios et al. is a very important study. We have some suggestions about this trial. Firstly, two-dimensional transeosophageal echocardiography (2D-TEE) can evaluate the morphology of left atrial appendage in multiple views. But real-time three-dimensional transeosophageal echocardiography (3D-TEE) provides more detailed images of the left atrial appendage (LAA) anatomy than 2D-TEE. A competent physician can accurately evaluate the LAA […]

Abstract Background: Cardiac Magnetic Resonance is in need of a simple and robust method for diastolic function assessment that can be done with routine protocol sequences. Objective: To develop and validate a three-dimensional (3D) model-based volumetric assessment of diastolic function using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and compare the results obtained with the model with those obtained by echocardiography. Methods: The study participants provided written informed consent and were included if having undergone both echocardiography and cine steady-state free precession […]