Background: The demographic characteristics of Iraqi patients with the metabolic syndrome (MS) and presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been scarcely studied before.

Aim of the study To study the socio-demographic characteristics of a group of Iraqi patients with MS presenting with ACS.

Patients and Methods: A convenience sample of 150 cases presenting with ACS and admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) of Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad from mid-January through July 2011 were included in the current cross-sectional study. The data needed for the study was collected through a direct interview to fill a questionnaire by all cases carried out by a consu

Background:  Imaging has a critical role in the diagnosis and evaluation of cardiac diseases, beginning with chest radiography and fluoro-scopy and progressing to coronary angio-graphy, echocardiography, nuclear medicine and recently  multidetector computed tomo-graphy (MDCT) as well as magnetic resonance (MR) imaging

Objective: To highlight the role of Multi-detector CT in the evaluation of coronary artery disease and its importance of being noninvasive diagnostic technique.

Methods: A cross sectional study for 20 patients. Patients were asked to fast 6 hours prior to the examination and the patients with heart rates above 65 beats per minute were given cardio-

Background: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare cerebrovascular disease characterized by bilateral stenosis starting at the supraclinoid internal carotid artery (ICA), with the development of a collateral network of vessels. It is an established cause of stroke in the pediatric age group. Despite its increasing prevalence in various parts of the world, it remains largely underrecognized in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq. This is the first case of MMD in an Iraqi patient undergoing surgery. Case description: A 12-year-old boy presents with a 3-months history of progressive behavioural changes. MRI revealed diffuse infarcts of different ages. MRA and CT angiography revealed extensive asymmetrical steno-occlusive changes of t

Background :Atherosclerosis is the most
frequent underlying cause of ischemic heart
disease and a major cause of death all over the
world. This study was carried out to analyze and
compare the angiographic findings in patients
with diabetes mellitus versus non diabetics with
coronary heart disease , and to correlate these
findings with some risk factors for coronary
heart disease.
Methods: A total of 100 patients were studied,
50 with diabetes mellitus, and 50 non diabetics.
This study was carried out at Al-Sadr teaching
hospital in Basrah, Southern Iraq during the
period April 2009- September 2009. All patients
were known to have coronary heart disease. Risk
factors for coronary heart disease

Background: Anemia is very common in patients with chronic kidney disease, and becoming almost universal in end stage renal disease, where dialysis or renal transplantation becoming the treatment of choice. High levels of hepcidin appear to accompany reduced renal function and serum ferritin may also be elevated.
Objectives: To classify anemia in hemodialysis patients and to display the correlations between the types of anemia and inflammatory parameters like hepcidin and ferritin according to vascular access of hemodialysis.
Patients and methods: This case-control study was conducted at Al-Hayat center for hemodialysis, and included 60 adult patients on hemodialysis. Also 20 healthy individuals were recruited as control group. Mea

Background: The coronary atherosclerosis received a great concern from the clinical aspect, but its pathological aspect is deficient in Iraq.  

Objectives: To find a correlation between the type of the lesions that were grossly identified and their corresponding microscopical grades and Studying the effect of remodeling on preservation of the luminal area, 3) demonstrate the endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis.

Methods: fifty cases were gathered from the Medico-legal institute in Baghdad during the period from January to July 2004.The left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA) from 50 postmortem cases were biopsied.

Background : Left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease represents important and serious portion of coronary artery disease(CAD).
Aim: The aim of this study is to estimate the incidence of LMCA disease among patients with CAD undergoing coronary artery angiography and to evaluate clinical characteristics of patients with LMCA disease.
Methods: The study involved review of clinical notes and coronary angiography of 1020 patients with CAD in Ibin Al Bitar hospital for cardiac surgery between April and September 2004.This review included evaluation of electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram(ECHO), ECG exercise test (EET) and coronary angiography.
Results: Among 56 patients proved to have left main corona

Background: Atherosclerosis is a diffuse disease process, being present in one vascular bed predicts its presence in the others. Ankle –brachial pressure index (ABI) is a non invasive test proved to be sensitive and specific in detecting and assessing the severity of peripheral arterial disease.
Patients and Methods: One hundred fifty patients (150) were enrolled in this study, from January - June 2007; all were referred to the Iraqi Centre for Heart Diseases (I.C.H.D.) for further evaluation, with request for further assessment of CAD or lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. Clinical data and physical examination were performed; ABI was calculated by measurement of systolic pressure on both ankl

Background: Coronary artery disease remains the main cause of death despite several preventive programs. Epicardial adipose tissue is a visceral fat depot of the heart located along the large coronary arteries and on the surface of ventricles and apex. Intima media thickness is commonly recognized as the initial stage in the development of atherosclerosis. The development of ultrasound machines, advances in echocardiographic devices and high resolution transducers facilitate comprehensive analysis of epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT).
Aim: To investigate the relationship of echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT) with the severity of coro

Background: Clinical classification of patients with acute coronary syndrome is essential step in identifying severe cases before referring them, fairly quickly, for the ultimate investigation of coronary angiography .Hence it is important to find out the extent at which the severity of the disease, based on clinical classification, agrees with its severity at angiography and to see whether traditional Risk factors or pas ischaemia played a role.
Patients and Methods : The angiographer data of 178 consecutive pts with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) were retrospectively analyzed. The pts consisted of 114 with Unstable Angina (UA)  and 64 pts with Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI). Pati