Ui Young Choi

Background and Objectives: Left atrial (LA) fibrosis is a main determinant of LA remodeling and development of atrial fibrillation. How -ever, non-invasive prediction of LA fibrosis is challenging. We investigated whether preoperative LA strain as measured by speckle track-ing echocardiography could predict the degree of LA fibrosis and LA reverse remodeling after mitral valve (MV) surgery. Subjects and Methods: Speckle tracking echocardiography and LA volume measurements were performed in 50 pa

Multidrug resistance 3 (MDR3), encoded by the ATP-binding cassette, subfamily B, member 4 gene (ABCB4), localizes to the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes and translocates phosphatidylcholine from the inner leaflet to the outer leaflet of the canalicular membrane. Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3) is a rare hepatic disease caused by genetic mutations of ABCB4. In this study, we characterized 8 ABCB4 mutations found in PFIC3 patients, using in vitro molecular assays.

Pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma is a rare highly lethal disease, with additional retrograde extension to pulmonic valve and right ventricle being an extremely rare condition. It is frequently mistaken for pulmonary thromboembolism. We report a case of 64-year-old woman with progressive dyspnea initially suspected and treated for pulmonary thromboembolism. Her helical chest CT scan with 3 dimensional (3D) reconstruction combined with echocardiography revealed a compacting main pulmonary artery m

Stenosis of extracranial vertebral artery (VA) is not an infrequent lesion, and it can pose a significant clinical problem. However, the standard treatment for a significant VA stenosis has still not been established. Here in this study, we report our experiences of VA stenting in 25 patients (age 56.2±15.2 years, male 76%). The patients had comorbidities as follows: DM (36%), hypertension (64%), Takayasu's (12%) and Behcet's diseases (4%). There were combined involvement of other vessels such a

Purpose: Metabolic syndrome (MS) has been reported as a potential risk factor of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aims of this study were to assess whether there was a relationship between MS score and CAD angiographic severity, and to assess the predictive value of individual components of MS for CAD. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 632 patients who underwent coronary angiography for suspected CAD (394 men, 61.0 ± 10.6 years of age). MS was defined by the National Cholester

The formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), in various tissues has been known to enhance immunoinflammatory reactions and local oxidant stresses in long standing diabetes. Recently, AGEs have been reported to play a role in neointimal formation in animal models of arterial injury. We attempted to determine whether the serum levels of AGEs are associated with coronary restenosis in diabetic patients. Blood samples were collected from diabetic patients with coronary artery disease und

Purpose: Plasma lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) binds to low-density lipoprotein. The levels of Lp-PLA2 reflect the plaque burden, and are upregulatedin acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We investigated the diagnostic value of Lp-PLA2 levels and found that it might be a potential biomarker for ACS. Materials and Methods: We classified 226 study participants into three groups: patients without significant stenosis (control group), patients with significant stenosis with stable angi

Since B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration has been shown by recent studies to be elevated in patients presenting acute coronary syndrome (ACS) even in the absence of overt heart failure, other mechanisms for elevating plasma BNP (p-BNP) concentrations may be suggested to exist. We have studied the correlation between p-BNP level and the extent of myocardial ischemia (EMI) in non-ST elevation (NSTE) ACS and evaluated the BNP level as an objective marker of EMI. In 204 patients with NST

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is now widely used in several fields of cardiovascular disease assessment due to recent technical developments. CMR can give physicians information that cannot be found with other imaging modalities. However, there is no guideline which is suitable for Korean people for the use of CMR. Therefore, we have prepared a Korean guideline for the appropriate utilization of CMR to guide Korean physicians, imaging specialists, medical associates and patients to im

The diagnosis of myocarditis can be challenging given that symptoms, clinical exam findings, electrocardiogram results, biomarkers, and echocardiogram results are often non-specific. Endocardial biopsy is an established method for diagnosing myocarditis, but carries the risk of complications and false negative results. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become the primary non-invasive imaging tool in patients with suspected myocarditis. Myocarditis can be diagnosed by using three tissu

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is now widely used in several fields of cardiovascular disease assessment due to recent technicaldevelopments. CMR can give physicians information that cannot be found with other imaging modalities. However, there is no guidelinewhich is suitable for Korean people for the use of CMR. Therefore, we have prepared a Korean guideline for the appropriate utilizationof CMR to guide Korean physicians, imaging specialists, medical associates and patients to impro

Post-contrast T1 values are closely related to the degree of myocardial extracellular space expansion. We determined the relationship between post-contrast T1 values and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function, LV remodeling, and neurohormonal activation in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Fifty-nine patients with DCM (mean age, 55 ± 15 years; 41 males and 18 females) who underwent both 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography were enrolled. The post-contrast 10-minute T1

Purpose: Left ventricular (LV) filling pressure affects atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence. We investigated the relationship betweendiastolic dysfunction and AF recurrence after cardioversion, and whether LV filling pressure was predictive of AF recurrence. Materials and Methods: Sixty-six patients (mean 58±12 years) with newly diagnosed persistent AF were retrospectively enrolled. We excluded patients with left atrial (LA) diameters larger than 50 mm, thereby isolating the effect of LV filling

Background and Objectives We sought to determine whether an elevated homocysteine (Hcy) level is associated with a worse prognosis in Korean patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Subjects and Methods A total of 5839 patients (60.4% male, mean age 61.3±11.2 years) with CAD were enrolled from 2000 to 2010 at Gangnam Severance Hospital. CAD was diagnosed by invasive coronary angiography. Laboratory values including Hcy level were obtained on the day of coronary angiography and analyses w