Cristina Basso – författare

Cardiac tumors were once a nosographic entity of scarce clinical interest because of the rarity and of the intrinsic diagnostic and therapeutic impossibilities, and were considered a fatal morbid entity. It has now become a topical subject due to advances in clinical imaging (echo, magnetic resonance, computed tomography) as well as innovation in technologies of in-vivo diagnosis. Cardiac Tumor Pathology presents a spectacular example of these advances with clinico-pathologic correlations. This timely volume covers history, epidemiology, demographics, clinical diagnosis, pathology, imaging by echo, CT and MRI of both benign and malignant cardiac tumors, either primary or secondary. Chemotherapy of malignant neoplasms is also addressed. Special emphasis is given to clinico-pathologic correlations. With all chapters written by experts in their fields, this volume will serve as a useful resource for physicians dealing with, and interested in, this special branch of cardiac oncology and will represent a useful guide for pathologists, clinicians, cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and radiologists as well as for postgraduate students training in these areas.

Cardiac valve diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the globe. In third world countries, inflammatory rheumatic valve disease in the young represents an endemic calamity, while in Western countries, degenerative valve diseases like senile calcific aortic stenosis and mitral valve prolapse as a result of mucoid degeneration with incompetence are major causes of death in adults/the elderly. Since the 1960s, surgical valve replacement has been the only treatment option, requiring sternotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiac arrest. Permanent anticoagulation for mechanical valves and the limited durability of biological valves constituted significant drawbacks; moreover, these surgeries often requires surgical replacement.

The cardiac registry at the University of Padua, Italy, has gathered more than twelve hundred cases of failed prosthetic valves, offering a unique resource for teaching and research. Conservative valve repair using minimally invasive technique showed that replacement of the native valve with sternotomy can be spared. Moreover, in the last decade venous or arterial approaches like TAVI were developed. Presenting the essential surgical and interventional anatomy and pathology in detail, this book offers a valuable tool for cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and pathologists, as well as people in training and scientists working in the field of medical devices and biological compatibility.