Correct stratification of ischemic stroke risk allows for the proper treatment of carotid atherosclerotic disease. We seek to differentiate plaque types based on stenosis level and plaque morphology. The Chinese Atherosclerosis Risk Evaluation (CARE–II) study is a cross-sectional, observational, multicenter study to assess carotid atherosclerotic plaques in symptomatic subjects using vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging. Plaque morphology and presence of plaque components were reviewed using multi-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. The carotid arteries were divided into four groups based on stenosis level and plaque components. Out of 1072 ischemic stroke subjects, 452 ipsilateral side carotid arteries were included. Significant stenosis (SS) (≥50% stenosis) with high-risk plaque (HRP) features was present in 37 arteries (8.2%), SS(+)/HRP(−) in 29 arteries (6.4%), SS(−)/HRP(+) in 57 arteries (12.6%), and SS(−)/HRP(−) in 329 arteries (72.8%). The prevalence of SS(−)/HRP(+) arteries in this cohort was substantial and had greater wall thickness than the SS(+)/HRP(−) group. These arteries may be misclassified for carotid revascularization by current guidelines based on the degree of luminal stenosis only. These findings have implications for further studies to assess stroke risk using vessel wall imaging. Full article

Purpose: We wished to evaluate the lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC) using contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE-T1W) black-blood (BB) imaging for vessel walls. Methods: Ninety-five patients with basilar artery (BA) stenosis who underwent magnetic resonance angiography between January 2016 and August 2018 were enrolled into this present study. CE-T1W BB imaging was considered as a reference method for identifying an LRNC. Results: Ten (10.5%) patients were identified as having an LRNC on CE-T1W BB imaging. Of these patients, 9 had acute symptoms. The extent of stenosis in patients with an LRNC on CE-T1W BB imaging was significantly greater than that of patients without an LRNC (p < 0.001). The maximum wall thickness in patients with an LRNC on CE-T1W imaging was significantly thicker than that of patients without an LRNC (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Identification of an LRNC on CE-T1W BB imaging was associated with high-grade stenosis and massive plaque burden from BA atherosclerosis. Full article

Identifying patients at increased risk of coronary artery disease, before the atherosclerotic complications become clinically evident, is the aim of cardiovascular prevention. Imaging techniques provide direct assessment of coronary atherosclerotic burden and pathological characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions which may predict the progression of disease. Atherosclerosis imaging has been traditionally based on the evaluation of coronary luminal narrowing and stenosis. However, the degree of arterial obstruction is a poor predictor of subsequent acute events. More recent techniques focus on the high-resolution visualization of the arterial wall and the coronary plaques. Most acute coronary events are triggered by plaque rupture or erosion. Hence, atherosclerotic plaque imaging has generally focused on the detection of vulnerable plaque prone to rupture. However, atherosclerosis is a dynamic process and the plaque morphology and composition may change over time. Most vulnerable plaques undergo progressive transformation from high-risk to more stable and heavily calcified lesions, while others undergo subclinical rupture and healing. Although extensive plaque calcification is often associated with stable atherosclerosis, the extent of coronary artery calcification strongly correlates with the degree of atherosclerosis and with the rate of future cardiac events. Inflammation has a central role in atherogenesis, from plaque formation to rupture, hence in the development of acute coronary events. Morphologic plaque assessment, both invasive and non-invasive, gives limited information as to the current activity of the atherosclerotic disease. The addition of nuclear imaging, based on radioactive tracers targeted to the inflammatory components of the plaques, provides a highly sensitive assessment of coronary disease activity, thus distinguishing those patients who have stable disease from those with active plaque inflammation. Full article

Strategies to prevent acute coronary and cerebrovascular events are based on accurate identification of patients at increased cardiovascular (CV) risk who may benefit from intensive preventive measures. The majority of acute CV events are precipitated by the rupture of the thin cap overlying the necrotic core of an atherosclerotic plaque. Hence, identification of vulnerable coronary lesions is essential for CV prevention. Atherosclerosis is a highly dynamic process involving cell migration, apoptosis, inflammation, osteogenesis, and intimal calcification, progressing from early lesions to advanced plaques. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a marker of coronary atherosclerosis, correlates with clinically significant coronary artery disease (CAD), predicts future CV events and improves the risk prediction of conventional risk factors. The relative importance of coronary calcification, whether it has a protective effect as a stabilizing force of high-risk atherosclerotic plaque has been debated until recently. The extent of calcium in coronary arteries has different clinical implications. Extensive plaque calcification is often a feature of advanced and stable atherosclerosis, which only rarely results in rupture. These macroscopic vascular calcifications can be detected by computed tomography (CT). The resulting CAC scoring, although a good marker of overall coronary plaque burden, is not useful to identify vulnerable lesions prone to rupture. Unlike macrocalcifications, spotty microcalcifications assessed by intravascular ultrasound or optical coherence tomography strongly correlate with plaque instability. However, they are below the resolution of CT due to limited spatial resolution. Microcalcifications develop in the earliest stages of coronary intimal calcification and directly contribute to plaque rupture producing local mechanical stress on the plaque surface. They result from a healing response to intense local macrophage inflammatory activity. Most of them show a progressive calcification transforming the early stage high-risk microcalcification into the stable end-stage macroscopic calcification. In recent years, new developments in noninvasive cardiovascular imaging technology have shifted the study of vulnerable plaques from morphology to the assessment of disease activity of the atherosclerotic lesions. Increased disease activity, detected by positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR), has been shown to be associated with more microcalcification, larger necrotic core and greater rates of events. In this context, the paradox of increased coronary artery calcification observed in statin trials, despite reduced CV events, can be explained by the reduction of coronary inflammation induced by statin which results in more stable macrocalcification. Full article

In-depth understanding of early cardiovascular manifestations in diabetes is high on international research and prevention agendas given that cardiovascular events are the leading cause of death for diabetic patients. Our aim was to review recent developments in the echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) as a telltale pre-clinical disturbance preceding diabetic cardiomyopathy. We analyzed papers in which patients had been comprehensively assessed echocardiographically according to the latest LVDD guidelines (2016), and those affording comparisons with previous, widely used recommendations (2009). We found that the updated algorithm for LVDD is more effective in predicting adverse cardiovascular events in patients with established LVDD, and less specific in grading other patients (labelled “indeterminate”). This may prove instrumental for recruiting “indeterminate” LVDD cases among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in future screening programs. As an interesting consideration, the elevated values of the index E/e’ can point to early diastolic impairment, foretelling diabetic cardiomyopathy. Identifying subclinical signs early makes clinical sense, but the complex nature of T2DM calls for further research. Specifically, longitudinal studies on rigorously selected cohorts of diabetic patients are needed to better understand and predict the subtle, slow onset of cardiac manifestations with T2DM as a complicating backdrop. Full article

Kounis syndrome is a rare anaphylactic reaction leading to coronary spasm, acute plaque rupture, or intrastent stenosis. Many types of medicine or environmental factors can potentially trigger Kounis syndrome by mast cell allergic reactions. In severe Kounis syndrome, reduced blood pressure or cardiac arrest may be accompanying symptoms. The treatment strategy for Kounis syndrome is usually difficult due to both cardiac dysfunction and allergic reactions. The delay to intervention to break the vicious circle may cause catastrophic complications. Therefore, early diagnosis is critical for physicians to outline detailed etiology for prevention and treat the cardiac and allergic symptoms in a timely manner. Here, we describe a case presenting rare severe Kounis syndrome with cardiac arrest which occurred after the administration of a contrast media. Full article

A spontaneous rupture of the spleen is a rare but critical diagnosis of an acute abdomen, which may accompany unspecific symptoms mimicking acute pancreatitis, rupture of aortic aneurism, or acute coronary syndrome, delaying diagnosis and treatment. In patients that have experienced a severe spleen rupture, hypovolemic shock may cause catastrophic clinical outcomes. Therefore, early diagnosis is very important in order for physicians to declare the etiology for prevention and timely correction of the shock status. Several causes of spontaneous splenic rupture have been reported, including infection, vasculitis, pancreatitis, or hematological malignancies. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains a rare but important cause of non-traumatic splenic rupture that physicians are required to assess for. Here, we describe a case presenting an acute abdomen due to spontaneous spleen rupture as the first manifestation. The purpose of this case report was to highlight the importance of considering spontaneous ruptures of the spleen as a rare but critical differential diagnosis of an acute abdomen, especially in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Full article

Hepatic artery aneurysm (HAA) is the second most common type of visceral aneurysm. Giant HAAs (larger than 5 cm) are very rare. We present a case of an asymptomatic giant hepatic artery aneurysm (diameter 10.7 cm) discovered as an incidental finding on an ¹⁸F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) scan of a patient admitted for pretreatment staging of urothelial carcinoma. Full article