Center director for cardiology research Kristina Haugaa talked about how we should image to diagnose ARVC at the NCI meeting early on Thursday. Dr. Haugaa is one of the foremost experts in Norway in the field of genetic heart diseases that may cause life threatening ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Cardiac imaging tools are crucial for early diagnosis of rare cardiomyopathies.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a genetic heart muscle disease, predisposing to ventricular arrhythmias, heart failure and sudden cardiac death. The mechanism behind the disease is complex, affecting both electrical and mechanical properties of the heart, and involves dysfunction in the glue between the heart muscle cells. This condition ultimately leads to severe damage of the cardiac muscles. When the disease has advanced, it is fairly easy to diagnose, but diagnosis and risk stratification is difficult in early disease. Development in the field of imaging is therefore of uppermost interest, this being a diagnostic tool of high importance for cardiologists worldwide.

Later on the same day center director Thor Edvardsen talked about the role of multimodality imaging in cardio-oncology. This is an emerging field of high importance, looking into the connection between heart failure and the treatment of cancer. Professor Edvardsen has excessive knowledge in the field of imaging and has for the past four years been Chair of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) Scientific Documents Committee, leading the work on European Guidelines for Cardiac Imaging. The EACVI has initiated a Cardiac Oncology Toxicity registry, collecting information on breast cancer patients from 19 different European countries. One of the main purposes of the COT-register is to investigate and increase the awareness around the effects of cancer treatment, specifically breast cancer, in relation to cardiovascular diseases. The aim is to establish new guidelines for future treatment and early diagnosis.

Several imaging tools can be used for early diagnosis, including a CT-scan of the heart for patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases after radiation therapy. Early screening of the patients is of uppermost importance. Cardiac ultrasound is the first line diagnostic tool and MR can also be used as a preventive measure to diagnose heart failure in patients without symptoms.

There have been debates about whether cardiologists should advice their patients to stop short with anti-cancer therapy in cases where the treatment worsens an already benign cardiovascular condition. But the take home message from the meeting is that the completion of the cancer treatment should be the number one priority to ensure better life expectancy for the patient undergoing treatment for life threatening carcinomas. It is therefore crucial that cardiologists and oncologists increase their collaboration and work on future guidelines to ensure the best possible care for patients undergoing radiation therapy.

CONTRIBUTIONS

How should we image to diagnose ARVC?
Kristina Haugaa
NIC, Thursday 27.10.

The role of multimodality imaging in cardio-oncology
Thor Edvardsen
NIC, Thursday 27.10.

Assessment of risk of arrhythmia in different cardiomyopathies
Kristina Haugaa
NSC, Thursday 27.10.

Arrhythmias in ICU patients
Erik Kongsgård
NSC, Friday 28.10.

Shunts and shunt calculation
Helge Skulstad
NSC, Saturday 29.10

ATRIAL FIBRILATION
Chairing the session were Trine Håland and Ole-Gunnar Anfinsen
NSC, Thursday 27.10.

GUCH
Mette-Elise Estensen was co-chairing the session
NSC, Friday 28.10

Kristina Haugaa was co-chairing the session RESEARCH IN FOCUS 1 which also included the oral abstract presentations by the PhD-fellows Friday morning.

Center postdoc Mathis Korsebeg Stokke is the supervisor for PhD-fellows Tore Danielsen and Ravinea Manotheepan who presented their work at the autumn meeting of the Norwegian Society of Cardiology.

Arrhythmias in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia type 1 are associated with heart rate, but requires sympathetic stimulation
Danielsen TK, Manotheepan R, Sadredini M, Leren IS, Edwards A, Vincent K, Lehnart SE, Sejersted OM, Sjaastad I, Haugaa KH, Stokke MK

Exercise training as anti-arrhythmic therapy in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia type 1
Manotheepan R, Danielsen TK, Saberniak J, Sadredini M, Anderson ME, Carlson CR, Edvardsen T, Lehnart SE, Sjaastad I, Haugaa KH, Stokke MK

Center member Helge Skulstad, Chief for the Department of Cardiology at Ahus is supervising PhD-fellow Darijan Ribic who also presented an oral abstract at the meeting.

Patient and procedural characteristics in the newly established coronary invasive center at Akershus University Hospital
Ribic D, Hussain A, Ravn J, Husvik M, Juliebø V, Aaberge L, Uchto M, Skulstad H

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PhD-fellow Darijan Ribic

PhD-fellow Ravinea Manotheepan

PhD-fellow Tore Danielsen