{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:19:38Z","timestamp":1760059178832,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,28]],"date-time":"2025-05-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748390400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Complementary National Plan PNC-I.1 \u201cResearch initiatives for Innovative technologies and pathways in the health and welfare sector\u201d","award":["D.D. 931 of 06\/06\/2022","PNC0000002","CUP B53C22006450001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["D.D. 931 of 06\/06\/2022","PNC0000002","CUP B53C22006450001"]}]},{"name":"\u201cDARE\u2014DigitAl lifelong pRevEntion\u201d initiative","award":["D.D. 931 of 06\/06\/2022","PNC0000002","CUP B53C22006450001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["D.D. 931 of 06\/06\/2022","PNC0000002","CUP B53C22006450001"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCDD"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Early anatomical study suggested that the pulmonary vein (PVs) junction may have putative sphincter-like activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate this activity in normal and paroxysmal\/persistent atrial fibrillation subjects. Methods: The Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) scans of 45 subjects [15 normal controls, 15 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAR-AF), and 15 with persistent AF (PER-AF)] were retrospectively analyzed. All subjects were in sinus rhythm during the CCT scan. A 3D anatomical model was developed, enabling us to identify the PV ostia and to measure their area dynamic changes during the cardiac cycle. Results: The area changes in the superior PVs within the three groups were significantly higher compared to the inferior (control p = 0.007, PAR-AF p = 0.0003, PER-AF p = 0.04). Moreover, these variations were significantly reduced in PAR-AF and PER-AF compared to the control in all PVs (LSPV (p &lt; 0.001), RSPV (p &lt; 0.001), RIPV (p = 0.037), and LIPV (p &lt; 0.001)). Conclusions: This sphincter-like activity, most prominent in superior PVs, is progressively impaired in patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcdd12060203","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,28]],"date-time":"2025-05-28T06:30:26Z","timestamp":1748413826000},"page":"203","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A Sphincter-like Function of Pulmonary Vein Ostia in Normal and Atrial Fibrillation Subjects"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9122-2642","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefano","family":"Bonapace","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Cardiology, IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria, Via Don Sempreboni 5, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2981-837X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matteo","family":"Falanga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering \u201cGuglielmo Marconi\u201d, University of Bologna, Campus of Cesena, 47522 Cesena, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9769-8043","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmelo","family":"Cicci\u00f2","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0289-9174","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristiana","family":"Corsi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering \u201cGuglielmo Marconi\u201d, University of Bologna, Campus of Cesena, 47522 Cesena, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8287-0461","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulio","family":"Molon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Cardiology, IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria, Via Don Sempreboni 5, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1042","DOI":"10.1161\/01.CIR.0000140263.20897.42","article-title":"Lifetime risk for development of atrial fibrillation: The Framingham Heart Study","volume":"110","author":"Wang","year":"2004","journal-title":"Circulation"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"949","DOI":"10.1093\/eurheartj\/ehi825","article-title":"Prevalence, incidence and lifetime risk of atrial fibrillation: The Rotterdam study","volume":"27","author":"Heeringa","year":"2006","journal-title":"Eur. 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Cardiol."}],"container-title":["Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2308-3425\/12\/6\/203\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T17:42:03Z","timestamp":1760031723000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2308-3425\/12\/6\/203"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,28]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6]]}},"alternative-id":["jcdd12060203"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcdd12060203","relation":{},"ISSN":["2308-3425"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2308-3425"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,28]]}}}