The first meeting of the DIC-SBC Women’s Group was held at the 11th Conference of the Department of Cardiovascular Imaging (DIC) of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia [SBC], in São Paulo, August 28–31, 2022. This meeting aimed to organize a work group to encourage and develop greater participation of female DIC members, speakers in scientific activities, guideline authors, and members of the Board of Directors. […]

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common genetic heart disease, has an estimated prevalence in the general population of 1:500–1:200. The diagnosis is based on the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) that is not fully explained by loading conditions, and HCM occurs in the absence of other cardiac, systemic, or metabolic disease or in the context of a multiorgan syndrome associated with LVH. Despite being considered a genetic disease, the initial diagnosis of HCM does not require genetic testing. The […]

Contrast echocardiography has shown invaluable utility in the clinical setting during the last 20 years. Most studies have demonstrated its successful application in different clinical scenarios. Ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) have evolved incredibly since their first-generation iterations at the end of the last century. From weak and short-term duration agents like Levovist™ to the development of fluorocarbons with simple storage requirements like Definity™ and Sonovue™, significant improvements have been achieved and the logistics in echocardiography labs became easier. Nevertheless, their […]

Introduction The left atrial appendage (LAA) is an extension of the left atrium (LA) and has complex anatomical structure and unique pathophysiological properties. The LAA functions as a decompression chamber during left ventricular (LV) systole and under increased left atrial pressure conditions. Despite previously being considered a relatively insignificant portion of the cardiac anatomy, the LAA has been highlighted as an important structure involved in the genesis of thrombus formation and thromboembolic events. With the recent development of percutaneous closure […]

Infective endocarditis (IE) has always been challenging for the medical field, which has responded with newer innovations and persistent efforts. Habib et al. stated “Infective endocarditis is still a life-threatening disease with the frequent lethal outcome despite profound changes in its clinical, microbiological, imaging, and therapeutic profiles”. Various factors affect the different aspects of IE diagnosis and management. As a developing country, India has a very polar healthcare delivery system. Primary health centers range from basic facilities that provide very […]