**Meet the editor**

Dr. Gani Bajraktari graduated in Medicine at the University of Prishtina (Kosovo) in 1990 and completed his specialization in cardiology at the Second Clinic of Cardiology, University Clinical Center "Mother Teresa", Tirana (Albania), in 1997. He finished his postgraduate studies, defending the Master's thesis at Medical Faculty of Zagreb (Croatia) in 2000, in the field of stress-echo-

cardiography, whereas he defended his doctoral thesis in 2002, at Medical Faculty of the University of Prishtina. He finished his PhD studies at Semelweis University in Budapest (Hungary), defending the Ph.D. thesis in 2007. In two mandates (2001-2003 and 2007-2009) he was the director of Internal Medicine Clinic, University Clinical Centre of Kosova, Prishtina. He was elected as Professor of Internal Medicine - Cardiology at Medical Faculty in 2006, whereas in 2009, he was elected as Dean of Medical Faculty, University of Prishtina.His clinical and research interests include echocardiography, diastology, diabetes and heart failure. He published 30 articles in these fields. He is the author of three books. Dr. Bajraktari is a Fellow of European Society of Cardiology and a Fellow of American College of Cardiology.

Contents

**Preface IX** 

Gani Bajraktari

Chapter 4 **Diastolic Heart Failure 49** 

Chapter 3 **Epiaortic Ultrasound Assessment of** 

Alistair Royse and Colin Royse

**Fact and Controversy 77** 

**Function in Failing Hearts 97**  Fadi N. Salloum and Rakesh C. Kukreja

**Part 2 Echocardiography in Heart Failure 47** 

**Part 1 Echocardiography in Valvular Heart Disease 1** 

Gheorghe Cerin, Bogdan Adrian Popa and Marco Diena

Ryotaro Wake, Junichi Yoshikawa and Minoru Yoshiyama

**Angioplasty in Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Trans-Thoracic Coronary Artery Doppler Study 59**  Dawod Sharif, Amal Sharif-Rasslan and Uri Rosenschein

Chapter 5 **Effects of Eptifibatide on the Microcirculation After Primary** 

Chapter 6 **Pulmonary Venous Flow Pattern and Atrial Fibrillation:** 

Chapter 7 **Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors Improve Left Ventricular** 

Toru Maruyama, Yousuke Kokawa, Hisataka Nakamura,

Mitsuhiro Fukata, Shioto Yasuda, Keita Odashiro and Koichi Akashi

Chapter 1 **The Degenerative Mitral Valve Regurgitation: From Geometrical Echocardiographic Concepts to Successful Surgical Repair 3** 

Chapter 2 **Echocardiography in Severe Aortic Stenosis 25** 

**the Thoracic Aorta in Cardiac Surgery 35** 
