ESC Congress 2012

Pr. Jean-Nicolas Dacher (Rouen, France)

The various interventional techniques aiming at ablating atrial fibrillation urged cardiac imaging specialists to continuously improve imaging of the left atrium (LA) and pulmonary veins (PV). In this field, CT is being widely used for its simplicity and excellent spatial resolution. However, MRI represents a non-radiating alternative, adding functional information to an excellent anatomic depiction. This Hands-on Tutorials offers the opportunity to read MR studies with an experienced cardiac radiologist. Technical issues will be covered including MR angiography, PV and LA measurements and Phase Contrast studies. Normal variants as well as unusual findings or abnormal courses of PVs will be shown on MR workstations. At the end of this session, the participants will be familiar with MR acquisition, image processing, analysis of the findings and reporting of LA / PV MR studies.

Dr. Alexandra Goncalves (Porto, Portugal)

Accurate quantification of mitral regurgitation (MR) is essential for appropriate medical decision, since surgery or intervention is only indicated for severe MR. Currently, every single parameter for evaluation has its limitations and the recommendation for integrating multiple parameters into one comprehensive final determination of MR severity is remains a worthy goal.
Using 3D PISA we are assessing a new methodology for improved MR severity measurement. By utilizing single heartbeat volume colour Doppler acquisition, the mitral regurgitation volume is measured by PISA analysis that is free of geometric assumptions. The initial clinical validation results and experience with this new way of quantification of MR in echocardiography will be presented in this workshop.

Dr. Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben (Mainz, Germany), Dr. Frank Patrick Schmidt (Mainz, Germany), Dr. Philipp Nikolai (Mainz, Germany)

Acquisition and quantitative evaluation of one-beat-volume-datasets of one or more consecutive cycles of the left ventricle offers new and often more accurate insights into systolic and in the future diastolic LV-function.
Reliable results depend on good image quality, solid and reproducible data acquisition and the recognition of current limitations.
In this session we will discuss how to obtain left ventricular volumes, control the image quality and suitability for different clinical applications. 3D volume and ejection fraction determination using automated analysis software and correction of border definitions will be demonstrated. Examples will include normal LV function, global and regional wall motion abnormalities and use of contrast-enhancement for improved border detection.
4D volume analysis is helpful in the evaluation of intraventricular dyssynchrony using established indices or timing of segmental volume changes. Effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy can be demonstrated visually and numerically.
Participants will be able to apply different methods of 4D rendering (e.g. volume- and surface-rendering, tomographic slicing) to clinical case studies.

N.N.

Cath lab reporting is part of the daily routine. The efficiency of the report generation and the information included in the report make the difference for an optimized workflow in the cath lab. This session demonstrates how the measurement of fractional flow reserve integrated in the AXIOM Sensis XP recording solution increases diagnostic confidence without interrupting procedural workflow.
Furthermore in this Hands-on Tutorials we will offer the opportunity to work with the new fast and intuitive coronary tree illustrator. Based on several clinical cases we will see its impact on clinical routine in regard to time saving and improved communication to patient and referring physicians. Beside the comprehensive cath lab reports in-house dose reporting and assessment are becoming more and more important. We will present how CARE Analytics allows improved reporting on patient dose history even cross modality.