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Bijvoet GP, Nies HMJM, Holtackers RJ, Martens BM, Smink J, Linz D, Vernooy K, Wildberger JE, Nijveldt R, Chaldoupi SM, Mihl C. Tissue characterization of acute lesions during cardiac magnetic resonance-guided ablation of cavo-tricuspid isthmus-dependent atrial flutter: a feasibility study. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2024; 25:635-644. [PMID: 38156446 PMCID: PMC11057941 DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/jead334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS To characterize acute lesions during cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-guided radiofrequency (RF) ablation of cavo-tricuspid isthmus (CTI)-dependent atrial flutter by combining T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), T1 mapping, first-pass perfusion, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging. CMR-guided catheter ablation offers a unique opportunity to investigate acute ablation lesions. Until present, studies only used T2WI and LGE CMR to assess acute lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS Fifteen patients with CTI-dependent atrial flutter scheduled for CMR-guided RF ablation were prospectively enrolled. Directly after achieving bidirectional block of the CTI line, CMR imaging was performed using: T2WI (n = 15), T1 mapping (n = 10), first-pass perfusion (n = 12), and LGE (n = 12) imaging. In case of acute reconnection, additional RF ablation was performed. In all patients, T2WI demonstrated oedema in the ablation region. Right atrial T1 mapping was feasible and could be analysed with a high inter-observer agreement (r = 0.931, ICC 0.921). The increase in T1 values post-ablation was significantly lower in regions showing acute reconnection compared with regions without reconnection [37 ± 90 ms vs. 115 ± 69 ms (P = 0.014), and 3.9 ± 9.0% vs. 11.1 ± 6.8% (P = 0.022)]. Perfusion defects were present in 12/12 patients. The LGE images demonstrated hyper-enhancement with a central area of hypo-enhancement in 12/12 patients. CONCLUSION Tissue characterization of acute lesions during CMR-guided CTI-dependent atrial flutter ablation demonstrates oedema, perfusion defects, and necrosis with a core of microvascular damage. Right atrial T1 mapping is feasible, and may identify regions of acute reconnection that require additional RF ablation.
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Affiliation(s)
- G P Bijvoet
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, P.Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - H M J M Nies
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - R J Holtackers
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - B M Martens
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - J Smink
- Department of Clinical Research, Philips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands
| | - D Linz
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, P.Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K Vernooy
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, P.Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - J E Wildberger
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - R Nijveldt
- Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S M Chaldoupi
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, P.Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - C Mihl
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Baroutidou A, Otountzidis N, Papazoglou AS, Moysidis DV, Kartas A, Mantziari L, Kamperidis V, Ziakas A, Giannakoulas G. Atrial Fibrillation Ablation in Congenital Heart Disease: Therapeutic Challenges and Future Perspectives. J Am Heart Assoc 2024; 13:e032102. [PMID: 38193287 PMCID: PMC10926799 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.123.032102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in adults with congenital heart disease raises significant questions regarding its management. The unique underlying anatomic and physiological background further adds to the difficulty in eliminating the AF burden in these patients. Herein, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the pathophysiology and risk factors for AF in adult congenital heart disease, with a special focus on the existing challenges in AF ablation. Emerging imaging modalities and ablation techniques might have a role to play. Evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of AF ablation in adult congenital heart disease is summarized, especially for patients with an atrial septal defect, Ebstein anomaly of the tricuspid valve, tetralogy of Fallot, and Fontan circulation. Finally, any remaining gaps in knowledge and potential areas of future research are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Baroutidou
- First Department of CardiologyAHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiThessalonikiGreece
| | - Nikolaos Otountzidis
- First Department of CardiologyAHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiThessalonikiGreece
| | | | | | - Anastasios Kartas
- First Department of CardiologyAHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiThessalonikiGreece
| | | | - Vasileios Kamperidis
- First Department of CardiologyAHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiThessalonikiGreece
| | - Antonios Ziakas
- First Department of CardiologyAHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiThessalonikiGreece
| | - George Giannakoulas
- First Department of CardiologyAHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiThessalonikiGreece
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3
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Hermans BJ, Bijvoet GP, Holtackers RJ, Mihl C, Luermans JG, Maesen B, Vernooy K, Linz D, Chaldoupi SM, Schotten U. Multi-modal characterization of the left atrium by a fully automated integration of pre-procedural cardiac imaging and electro-anatomical mapping. IJC HEART & VASCULATURE 2023; 49:101276. [PMID: 37854978 PMCID: PMC10579959 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcha.2023.101276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Background The combination of information obtained from pre-procedural cardiac imaging and electro-anatomical mapping (EAM) can potentially help to locate new ablation targets. In this study we developed and evaluated a fully automated technique to align left atrial (LA) anatomies obtained from CT- and MRI-scans with LA anatomies obtained from EAM. Methods Twenty-one patients scheduled for a pulmonary vein (PV) isolation with a pre-procedural MRI were enrolled. Additionally, a recent computed tomography (CT) scan was available in 12 patients. LA anatomies were segmented from MRI-scans using ADAS-AF (Galgo Medical, Barcelona) and from the CT-scans using Slicer3D. MRI and CT anatomies were aligned with the EAM anatomy using an iterative closest plane-to-plane algorithm. Initially, the algorithm included the PVs, LA appendage and mitral valve anulus as they are the most distinctive landmarks. Subsequently, the algorithm was applied again, excluding these structures, with only three iterative steps to refine the alignment of the true LA surface. The result of the alignments was quantified by the Euclidian distance between the aligned anatomies after excluding PVs, LA appendage and mitral anulus. Results Our algorithm successfully aligned 20/21 MRI anatomies and 11/12 CT anatomies with the corresponding EAM anatomies. The average median residual distances were 1.9 ± 0.6 mm and 2.5 ± 0.8 mm for MRI and CT anatomies respectively. The average LA surface with a residual distance less than 5.00 mm was 89 ± 9% and 89 ± 10% for MRI and CT anatomies respectively. Conclusion An iterative closest plane-to-plane algorithm is a reliable method to automatically align pre-procedural cardiac images with anatomies acquired during ablation procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J.M. Hermans
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Geertruida P. Bijvoet
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Robert J. Holtackers
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Casper Mihl
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Justin G.L.M. Luermans
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Bart Maesen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Kevin Vernooy
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Dominik Linz
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Sevasti-Maria Chaldoupi
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ulrich Schotten
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
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López-Galvez R, Rivera-Caravaca JM, Roldán V, Orenes-Piñero E, Esteve-Pastor MA, López-García C, Saura D, González J, Lip GYH, Marín F. Imaging in atrial fibrillation: A way to assess atrial fibrosis and remodeling to assist decision-making. Am Heart J 2023; 258:1-16. [PMID: 36526006 DOI: 10.1016/j.ahj.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The 2020 ESC atrial fibrillation (AF) guidelines suggest the novel 4S-AF scheme for the characterization of AF. Imaging techniques could be helpful for this objective in everyday clinical practice, and information derived from these techniques reflects basic aspects of the pathophysiology of AF, which may facilitate treatment decision-making, and optimal management of AF patients. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the mechanisms associated with atrial fibrosis and to describe imaging techniques that may help the management of AF patients in clinical practice. Transthoracic echocardiography is the most common procedure given its versatility, safety, and simplicity. Transesophageal echocardiography provides higher resolution exploration, and speckle tracking echocardiography can provide incremental functional and prognostic information over conventional echocardiographic parameters. In addition, LA deformation imaging, including LA strain and strain rate, are related to the extent of fibrosis. On the other hand, multidetector-row computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance provide higher resolution data and more accurate assessment of the dimensions, structure, and spatial relationships of the LA. Imaging is central when deciding on catheter ablation or cardioversion, and helps in selecting those patients who will really benefit from these procedures. Moreover, imaging enhances the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of atrial remodeling and might assists in refining the risk of stroke, which help to select the best medical therapies/interventions. In summary, evaluation of LA enlargement, LA remodeling and fibrosis with imaging techniques adds clinical and prognostic information and should be assessed as a part of routine comprehensive AF evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel López-Galvez
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), CIBERCV, Murcia, Spain
| | - José Miguel Rivera-Caravaca
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), CIBERCV, Murcia, Spain; School of Nursing, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Vanessa Roldán
- Department of Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Esteban Orenes-Piñero
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), CIBERCV, Murcia, Spain
| | - María Asunción Esteve-Pastor
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), CIBERCV, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cecilia López-García
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), CIBERCV, Murcia, Spain
| | - Daniel Saura
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), CIBERCV, Murcia, Spain
| | - Josefa González
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), CIBERCV, Murcia, Spain
| | - Gregory Y H Lip
- Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Francisco Marín
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), CIBERCV, Murcia, Spain
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Corrado C, Roney CH, Razeghi O, Lemus JAS, Coveney S, Sim I, Williams SE, O'Neill MD, Wilkinson RD, Clayton RH, Niederer SA. Quantifying the impact of shape uncertainty on predicted arrhythmias. Comput Biol Med 2023; 153:106528. [PMID: 36634600 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.106528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Personalised computer models are increasingly used to diagnose cardiac arrhythmias and tailor treatment. Patient-specific models of the left atrium are often derived from pre-procedural imaging of anatomy and fibrosis. These images contain noise that can affect simulation predictions. There are few computationally tractable methods for propagating uncertainties from images to clinical predictions. METHOD We describe the left atrium anatomy using our Bayesian shape model that captures anatomical uncertainty in medical images and has been validated on 63 independent clinical images. This algorithm describes the left atrium anatomy using Nmodes=15 principal components, capturing 95% of the shape variance and calculated from 70 clinical cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images. Latent variables encode shape uncertainty: we evaluate their posterior distribution for each new anatomy. We assume a normally distributed prior. We use the unscented transform to sample from the posterior shape distribution. For each sample, we assign the local material properties of the tissue using the projection of late gadolinium enhancement CMR (LGE-CMR) onto the anatomy to estimate local fibrosis. To test which activation patterns an atrium can sustain, we perform an arrhythmia simulation for each sample. We consider 34 possible outcomes (31 macro-re-entries, functional re-entry, atrial fibrillation, and non-sustained arrhythmia). For each sample, we determine the outcome by comparing pre- and post-ablation activation patterns following a cross-field stimulus. RESULTS We create patient-specific atrial electrophysiology models of ten patients. We validate the mean and standard deviation maps from the unscented transform with the same statistics obtained with 12,000 Monte Carlo (ground truth) samples. We found discrepancies <3% and <2% for the mean and standard deviation for fibrosis burden and activation time, respectively. For each patient case, we then compare the predicted outcome from a model built on the clinical data (deterministic approach) with the probability distribution obtained from the simulated samples. We found that the deterministic approach did not predict the most likely outcome in 80% of the cases. Finally, we estimate the influence of each source of uncertainty independently. Fixing the anatomy to the posterior mean and maintaining uncertainty in fibrosis reduced the prediction of self-terminating arrhythmias from ≃14% to ≃7%. Keeping the fibrosis fixed to the sample mean while retaining uncertainty in shape decreased the prediction of substrate-driven arrhythmias from ≃33% to ≃18% and increased the prediction of macro-re-entries from ≃54% to ≃68%. CONCLUSIONS We presented a novel method for propagating shape uncertainty in atrial models through to uncertainty in numerical simulations. The algorithm takes advantage of the unscented transform to compute the output distribution of the outcomes. We validated the unscented transform as a viable sampling strategy to deal with anatomy uncertainty. We then showed that the prediction computed with a deterministic model does not always coincide with the most likely outcome. Finally, we found that shape uncertainty affects the predictions of macro-re-entries, while fibrosis uncertainty affects the predictions of functional re-entries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesare Corrado
- Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE17EH, United Kingdom.
| | - Caroline H Roney
- Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE17EH, United Kingdom; School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Orod Razeghi
- Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE17EH, United Kingdom; UCL Centre for Advanced Research Computing, London, United Kingdom
| | - Josè Alonso Solís Lemus
- Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE17EH, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Coveney
- Insigneo Institute for in-silico Medicine and Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Iain Sim
- Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE17EH, United Kingdom
| | - Steven E Williams
- Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE17EH, United Kingdom
| | - Mark D O'Neill
- Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE17EH, United Kingdom
| | - Richard D Wilkinson
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Richard H Clayton
- Insigneo Institute for in-silico Medicine and Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Steven A Niederer
- Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE17EH, United Kingdom
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Edvardsen T, Donal E, Muraru D, Gimelli A, Fontes-Carvalho R, Maurer G, Petersen SE, Cosyns B. The year 2021 in the European Heart Journal—Cardiovascular Imaging: Part I. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2022; 23:1576-1583. [DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/jeac210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The European Heart Journal—Cardiovascular Imaging was introduced in 2012 and has during these 10 years become one of the leading multimodality cardiovascular imaging journals. The journal is currently ranked as Number 19 among all cardiovascular journals. It has an impressive impact factor of 9.130 and our journal is well established as one of the top cardiovascular journals. The most important studies published in our Journal in 2021 will be highlighted in two reports. Part I of the review will focus on studies about myocardial function and risk prediction, myocardial ischaemia, and emerging techniques in cardiovascular imaging, while Part II will focus on valvular heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathies, and congenital heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thor Edvardsen
- Department of Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet , Sognsvannsveien 20, Postbox 4950 Nydalen, NO-0424 Oslo , Norway
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Sognsvannsveien 20, NO-0424 Oslo , Norway
| | - Erwan Donal
- Department of Cardiology and CIC-IT1414, CHU Rennes, Inserm, LTSI-UMR 1099, University Rennes-1, Rennes F-35000 , France
| | - Denisa Muraru
- Department of Cardiology, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS , Piazzale Brescia 20, 20149 Milan , Italy
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca , Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza , Italy
| | - Alessia Gimelli
- Imaging Department, Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio , Via Giuseppe Moruzzi, 1, 56124 Pisa PI , Italy
| | - Ricardo Fontes-Carvalho
- Cardiology Department, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, R. Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro 4400-129 , 4430-999 Vila Nova de Gaia , Portugal
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto , Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro 4200-319 Porto , Portugal
| | - Gerald Maurer
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna , Wahringer Gurtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna , Austria
| | - Steffen E Petersen
- Barts Heart Centre, Barts Health NHS Trust , West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE , UK
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London , Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ , UK
| | - Bernard Cosyns
- Department of Cardiology, CHVZ (Centrum voor Hart en Vaatziekten), ICMI (In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging) Laboratory, Universitair ziekenhuis Brussel , 1090 Jette, Brussels , Belgium
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