title: Right ventricular endocardial thermography in transplanted and coronary artery disease patients: first human application.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, 356 Syngrou Avenue, Kallithea, Athens, 176 74, Greece. esbarouni@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: Athanassios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manginas
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andreanides
authors.forename: Epsilonvangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leontiadis
authors.forename: Petros
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sfyrakis
authors.forename: Themistocles
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maounis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Degiannis
authors.forename: Petros A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Alivizatos
authors.forename: Dennis V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Cokkinos
mesh_terms: 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*