theheart.org: Imaging news and education

Imaging

Imaging study shows plaque regression with niacin vs placebo

11 COMMENTS - Oct 30, 2009 16:00 EDT

Just weeks before ARBITER-HALTS 6 results come out at AHA 2009, an MRI study suggests that niacin is better than placebo in statin-treated patients with low HDL, at least for reducing carotid wall area. Experts say they'd also like to see insights into niacin effects on lipid-rich plaque volumes—the more commonly seen end point with MRI.

Oxford, UK - A new imaging study is providing a first hint at the potential for niacin to help with plaque regression when used on top of optimized statin therapy [1]. Writing in the November 3, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), Dr Justin MS Lee (University of Oxford, UK) and colleagues report that 2 g of modified-release nicotinic acid (Niaspan, Abbott Laboratories) daily, on top of statins, resulted in a 1.64 mm² reduction in carotid wall area on MRI, compared with placebo, in patients with vascular disease and low HDL. Read full article »

Inside: Imaging

Accredited educational programs, supported by industry, developed by theheart.org

Imaging

Risk Stratification in Heart Failure: Imaging Update From ESC 2009

Aug 28, 2009 11:34 EDT

Drs. Yancy, Bax, and O′Connor ponder the implications of new data related to imaging risk stratification in special patient populations.

Imaging

Imaging and Risk Stratification in Heart Failure: An Expert Interview With Jeroen Bax, MD, PhD

1 COMMENT - Jul 14, 2009 11:30 EDT

Dr. Jeroen Bax, on the cusp of publishing a landmark paper to validate the role of MIBG imaging in risk stratifying patients with heart failure, provides a snapshot of his study in this interview from Europace 2009.

Interventional/Surgery

Variable Rate Contrast Injection in the Cath Lab

7 COMMENTS - May 11, 2009 10:00 EDT

Variable rate contrast delivery systems have the potential to improve workflow and patient outcomes by providing a more precise flow of contrast. Watch Dr. Jeffrey Moses and his team as they demonstrate the use of the device in the cath lab in a patient with complex lesions.

Interventional/Surgery

Optimal Acute Myocardial Infarction Management Redefined

11 COMMENTS - Dec 1, 2008 10:30 EST

Can drug-eluting stents now be considered the standard of care in patients with STEMI undergoing PCI? Can target lesion revascularization be reduced further? What about bleeding? Please join Drs Stone, White, and Harrington as they tackle these and other pressing questions in the treatment of AMI.

heartbriefs

Serum phosphorous, kidney function predict CAC

Nov 5, 2009 17:00 EST

The Spokane Heart Study finds a connection between kidney function, serum phosphorus, and the risk of coronary artery calcification.

Imaging

CAC scoring plus SPECT provide long and short view of cardiac risk

6 COMMENTS - Nov 3, 2009 17:00 EST

UPDATED // An 1126-patient trial shows that SPECT and CAC scoring imaging tests are independent and complementary predictors of short- and long-term cardiac risk, respectively.

Imaging

CMS set to cut Medicare physician fees for cardiovascular imaging

5 COMMENTS - Nov 3, 2009 11:45 EST

The 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule released by the CMS makes major cuts to several cardiovascular imaging services.

Heart failure

Benefits of targeted lead placement with CRT devices supported by long-term mortality data

Oct 29, 2009 15:00 EDT

An additional year of data from the INCREMENTAL study showed that echo-targeted LV lead positioning increased the likelihood of a response to device therapy by about 40% over standard lead placement. But does that difference translate into better long-term outcomes for the patient?

Lipid/Metabolic

New MESA data: Pericardial fat a better predictor of CHD than BMI

9 COMMENTS - Oct 23, 2009 17:00 EDT

Pericardial fat, which is found around the heart, predicts future CHD events and may even be a better predictor of these than conventional obesity measures, such as BMI and waist circumference, a new study of MESA participants shows.

heartbriefs

New model connects low-dose radiation to CVD risk

Oct 23, 2009 15:30 EDT

Data from Japanese atomic-bomb survivors and people exposed to radiation in their jobs show that even low doses of ionizing radiation may contribute to cardiovascular disease risk. British researchers have created a complex mathematical model to better understand the relationship between radiation exposure and heart disease.

Brain/Kidney/Peripheral

Iloprost prevents contrast-induced nephropathy in high-risk patients undergoing coronary intervention

Oct 21, 2009 13:00 EDT

Intravenously administered iloprost, a prostacyclin analog, may help prevent contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with renal dysfunction undergoing coronary procedures, a new pilot study suggests.

Imaging

Zero CAC score not 100% reassuring in those presenting to ER with chest pain

14 COMMENTS - Oct 16, 2009 12:45 EDT

In those presenting to the ER with chest pain, a prior zero calcium score cannot completely rule out a coronary obstruction, a new analysis of the MESA study has shown. This is likely due to the presence of soft plaques not detected by calcium screening, the researchers say.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Racial background woefully underreported in CV trials

1 COMMENT - Oct 15, 2009 13:15 EDT

Two-thirds of the 156 trials considered by the AHA in preparing a recent guideline failed to even record the ethnic backgrounds of participants, a new study has found. The researchers call for the reporting of race/ethnicity to be mandatory in all clinical trials, and they suggest medical journals should enforce this policy.

Imaging

Incidental findings on cardiac CT costly and rarely clinically significant

Oct 6, 2009 15:15 EDT

Among nearly 1000 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac CT, 41% had noncardiac incidental findings, but just 1.2% of these were clinically significant. While another 7% were "indeterminate," none of these inconclusive findings became clinically significant during follow-up.

Clinical cardiology

New "principles" on authorship and COI from PhRMA get mixed response

3 COMMENTS - Oct 2, 2009 12:00 EDT

The "Principles on Conduct of Clinical Trials and Communication of Clinical Trial Results" echo recent standards set by medical journal editors, but some observers say the document, which has no penalty component, lacks real teeth.

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Editorial Programs

Editorial series

Clinical research: Comparing regulatory pathways in US and UK

Oct 30, 2009 12:35 EDT

How do regulatory pathways differ in the US and UK? Drs Harrington, Bhatt, and Cleland share their experiences and offer insight on how to support innovative research.

Editorial series

Afib treatment: The five-year plan

Oct 23, 2009 10:40 EDT

Dr Melissa Walton-Shirley talks to Dr Nassir Marrouche about the results of RE-LY, the impact of dronedarone on the treatment of atrial fibrillation, and his hopes for the future of MRI-guided ablation.

Editorial series

ACC and AHA: Leadership in today's healthcare environment

Sep 15, 2009 14:10 EDT

Dr Robert Califf sits down with Drs Alfred Bove, Jack Lewin, and Clyde Yancy and AHA CEO Nancy Brown to talk about the ACC and the AHA and their role in the debate on healthcare reform.

Radio: The Bob Harrington Show

Episode #6: CORE 64 with Dr Julie Miller

Jan 9, 2008 16:31 EST