Editorial

Prof. MUDr. Jiří Vítovec, CSc., FESC

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):596  

Capillaroscopy and autoantibodies in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon

Ivo Hofírek, Dana Bartoňková, Robert Prosecký, Stanislav Šárník

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):619-622 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.156  

Aim: The aim of this study was to obtain a pilot prospective evaluation of capillaroscopic findings in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon and of their putative association with basic immunological parameters.Methods: Fifty-one patients (37 females, 14 males) with peripheral blood supply disorders corresponding to the Raynaud's phenomenon and with disease manifestations lasting up to 48 months were examined in 2010. Besides standard vascular examination, the patients also underwent capillaroscopy using Leica S6D device. Three stages of capillaroscopic findings were defined, from normal to marked pathology. Vascular and capillaroscopic examinations...

Endomyocardial biopsy in recent dilated cardiomyopathy - evaluation of baseline characteristics of the first 50 patients

Jan Krejčí, Petr Hude, Lenka Špinarová, Eva Ozábalová, Alžběta Sirotková, Víta Žampachová, Eva Němcová, Tomáš Freiberger, Ladislav Pecen, Jiří Vítovec

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):623-629 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.157  

Introduction: In about one half of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), myocardial inflammation (myocarditis) is detected on biopsy. It is often challenging to diagnose myocarditis but modern evaluation methods including endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) and magnetic resonance imaging make the diagnosis much easier.Aim: To evaluate bioptic findings in patients with recent non-ischemic heart failure and to compare the baseline clinical, echocardiographic, hemodynamic and some laboratory parameters in the groups with and without confirmed myocarditis.Methods: The study population comprised 50 patients with recent DCM who underwent - besides...

Which echocardiographic parameters do we need for the diagnostics of primary diastolic heart failure?

Jaroslav Meluzín, Helena Podroužková, Jan Sitar, Jan Křístek, Robert Prosecký, Martin Pešl, Lada Rambousková, Vladimír Soška, Roman Panovský

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):630-636 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.158  

Aim: The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) published a consensus statement on the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure (heart failure with normal ejection fraction, HFNEF) in 2007. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of HFNEF in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LV EF) suffering from exertional dyspnea of unknown etiology and to determine the proportion of individual clinical and echocardiographic parameters used in the diagnostics of HFNEF according to the consensus of ESC.Methods: Seventy patients with exertional dyspnea of unknown etiology were investigated according to the consensus of ESC. They underwent...

The newest radiologic imaging methods used during catheterization ablation of complex atrial arrhythmias

Zdeněk Stárek, František Lehar, Jiří Jež, Jiří Wolf, Pavel Leinveber

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):637-643 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.159  

Aim: To define the optimal protocol for three-dimensional (3D) modeling of heart cavities and adjacent structures using 3D rotational angiography (3DRA).Methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients underwent 3DRA using two different right atrial protocols (P1 and P2), one left atrial protocol and a right-sided protocol with a manual start (P3). The effectiveness of useful 3D heart cavity model attainment, mostly concerning the left atrium, was evaluated. The analysis of factors influencing the effectiveness of 3DRA (BMI, HR, type of rhythm during application of the contrast medium) was also performed. In 35 patients, we evaluated the effectiveness...

Possibilities of optical coherence tomography in assessment of stent healing

Ota Hlinomaz, Ladislav Groch, Jan Sitar, Michal Rezek, Anna Kiliánová, Martin Novák, Jiří Seménka, Toni Vekov

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):605-610 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.154  

Optical coherence tomography is a new, very fast developing method in interventional cardiology. It gives us the opportunity to assess the inner structures of coronary artery wall, to evaluate the characteristics of atherosclerotic plaques, quality of stent implantation and its healing. The authors present current knowledge of optical coherence tomography and their own experience with this method.

Biotronik Home Monitoring system in clinical practice

Jolana Lipoldová, Miroslav Novák, Ivo Dvořák, Tomáš Vykypěl

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):611-618 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.155  

Introduction: Biotronik Home Monitoring (HM) is the most widely used system for remote monitoring of pacemaker (PM) and defibrillator (ICD) users in the Czech Republic. Implanted PM or ICD equipped with antenna emits a signal that is detected by the patient subunit CardioMessenger (CM). In the second-generation HM, the signal is being digitally transformed and re-sent in the GPRS form to the center in Berlin. The transferred information is analyzed automatically and the findings are made available to a physician using a secured server. This occurs every day at a predefined hour and any time when severe pathology or arrhythmia is detected.Methods:...

Unusual use of magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of myocardial infarction

Roman Panovský, Věra Feitová, Karin Poloková, Vladimír Kincl, Jaroslav Meluzín, Ota Hlinomaz, Jiří Sikora

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):644-648 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.160  

Due to a very rapid recent development of magnetic resonance technologies, this imaging modality can now be used more often in an important part of patients with cardiovascular diseases. The spectrum of diagnoses, in which magnetic resonance imaging offers much better or even entirely new information about heart anatomy, function and perfusion, has been widening. Late post-contrast enhancement represents one of the options in myocardial imaging.Our case-report demonstrates the possible use of magnetic resonance imaging in a rather atypical indication - in a patient with burning chest pain and mild positivity of cardiac necrosis markers but without...

First experience with allogeneic homograft in the treatment of prosthetic endocarditis

František Sabol, Adrian Kolesár, Martin Beňa, Marta Jakubová, Jaroslav Špatenka, Ján Luczy, Branislav Stančák, Jana Jevčáková, Ingrid Schusterová

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):649-653 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.161  

One of the possible complications after implantation of valve prostheses is the emergence of prosthetic endocarditis. It is a life-threatening complication, requiring complex and demanding treatment. One of the possible therapeutic modalities is using of allogeneic homograft. In this case report, we describe the case of 54-year-old hypertensive patient with incidentally discovered, asymptomatic aortic regurgitation and dilatation of the ascending aorta. We carried out planned replacement of the ascending aorta by a composite graft Bentall. The postoperative course was complicated by wound infection after sternotomy. Despite maximized antibiotic therapy,...

Coincidence of deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and multiple paradoxical embolisms in a patient with patent foramen ovale

Leona Pávková, Pavel Jelínek, Ladislav Pešl, František Toušek

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):654-657 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.162  

In patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO), deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism can lead to paradoxical embolism, which fact has an important impact on the prognosis of these patients and on the choice of therapeutic approach. Our case study describes a 49-years-old patient with deep venous thrombosis, bilateral pulmonary embolism and multiple systemic embolisms in the presence of PFO. He was treated successfully by embolectomy from the left subclavian artery, anticoagulation therapy, catheter-based PFO closure and implantation of permanent vena cava filter.

Recurrent acute myocardial infarction affecting simultaneously the left circumflex coronary artery and the left anterior descending coronary artery

Radek Jančár, Kamil Novobílský

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):658-662 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.163  

Ischemic heart disease (IHD), representing one manifestation of general atherosclerosis affecting the arteries in the entire organism, is being increasingly considered a systemic disease with multifactorial causes and multiple subsequent mechanisms, which are complementary and potentiate each other both during the development and during the progression of the disease. There have been several descriptions in the literature of the presence of more than one unstable coronary plaque at the time of acute coronary syndrome. It is for this reason, along with the implantation of coronary stents, why long-term dual antiaggregation is necessary in patients after...

Wolfram Karges, Sascha Al Dahouk: Vnitřní lékařství Stručné repetitorium

Prof. MUDr. Jan Petrášek, DrSc.

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):672  

Enlargement of the narrow aortic annulus: valid, but not much sought-after technique

Pavel Žáček, Jan Vojáček, Jan Dominik, Jan Harrer

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):663-665 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.164  

Zápis ze schůze výboru ČKS konané dne 13. 9. 2011 v Praze

P. Widimský, I. Pavézková

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):671-672  

Historie a současnost I. interní kardioangiologické kliniky Lékařské fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a Fakultní nemocnice u svaté Anny v Brně

Jiří Vítovec, Věra Linhartová

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):597-599  

Cor et Vasa se vrací na mezinárodní scénu

Petr Widimský, Jiří Widimský, Michael Aschermann

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):667-669  

Informace o změnách ve vydávání časopisu Cor et Vasa

Michael Aschermann, Petr Widimský

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):669-670  

Základní charakteristika projektu Mezinárodního centra klinického výzkumu

Tomáš Kára, Miroslav Souček, Jiří Vítovec

Cor Vasa 2011, 53(11):600-604