Despite the decreasing prevalence of smoking in developed world, those most likely to smoke are in their 20-40s, the period that corresponds to parenthood. Several cross sectional studies in children have shown that exposure to passive smoke affects vascular health, including impaired endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and greater intima-media thickness. In a new prospective study…
On-going research at the Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging (UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science) and at the Cardiothoracic Unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London is looking into the potential of using 3-dimensional patient-specific models of congenital heart diseases in clinical practice. Such models, produced with a technique known as “rapid prototyping”, can…
Mitral valve prolapse is a common cardiac condition where the inlet valve to the left sided pumping chamber closes in a different way from normal. In this condition, the valve leaflets (the doors) do not stop tilting at the level of the valve hinges (the valve annulus) but they continue tilting into the left sided…
