Right ventricular endocardial thermography in transplanted and coronary artery disease patients: first human application.
BACKGROUND
We sought to evaluate for the first time in humans the safety and feasibility of right ventricular (RV) thermography in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and in patients after heart transplantation (Tx), in comparison to subjects without structural heart disease (controls).


METHODS
Ninety-one RV thermography procedures were performed in 16 patients with CAD, 19 hearttransplant recipients and 6 patients without structural heart disease. We recorded the temperature of the RV intracavitary blood and RV endocardial septum, and calculated their difference using a dedicated commercially available thermography catheter.


RESULTS
No complications were observed. CAD patients had a significantly higher temperature difference (0.19 +/- 0.11 degrees C) compared to both Tx patients (0.10 +/- 0.06 degrees C) and controls (0.07 +/- 0.04 degrees C) (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.003, respectively), whereas there was no significant difference between the Tx patients and controls (p = 0.65).


CONCLUSIONS
RV thermography in humans is feasible and safe. Patients with stable CAD present a significantly higher temperature difference in the RV endocardium compared to controls; clinically stable transplant recipients have temperatures similar to controls. This novel method corroborates previous findings supporting the inflammatory hypothesis of coronary atherosclerosis.
Manginas
Athanassios
A
Department of Cardiology, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, 356 Syngrou Avenue, Kallithea, Athens, 176 74, Greece. esbarouni@yahoo.gr
Andreanides
Elias
E
Leontiadis
Epsilonvangelos
E
Sfyrakis
Petros
P
Maounis
Themistocles
T
Degiannis
Dimitrios
D
Alivizatos
Petros A
PA
Cokkinos
Dennis V
DV
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001831:Body Temperature; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D004699:Endocardium; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006346:Heart Septum; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000175:diagnosis; D013817:Thermography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*