Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Interventional Laboratory

The Johns Hopkins Hospital Cardiovascular Diagnostic Laboratory (CVDL) is a state of the art imaging facility performing over 24,000 diagnostic and interventional procedures annually.

The Cardiology Section is involved in treating patients with disorders of the heart and vascular tree including:

• coronary artery disease
• congestive heart failure
• valvular heart disease
• congenital heart defects
• cardiomyopathy
• peripheral vascular disease

The CVDL operates eleven procedure rooms. There are three general areas within the CVDL: Cardiology, Radiology, and Electrophysiology.

Services included in the Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Interventional Laboratory

Coronary Artery Disease

• Diagnosis of coronary atherosclerosis by angiography and intravascular ultrasound
• Treatment of coronary artery and bypass graft blockages using Balloon Angioplasty, Intracoronary Stenting, Laser Ablation, Rotational Atherectomy, Directional Atherectomy, Extractional Atherectomy, Brachytherapy (local radiation therapy)
• Evaluation of endothelial function and coronary blood flow.
• Novel approaches to ischemic heart disease including intracoronary gene therapy for angiogenesis, direct myocardial laser revascularization, electromechanical mapping of myocardium
• Management of acute myocardial infarction

Valvular Heart Disease

• Diagnosis of valvular stenosis and regurgitation
• Percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty for mitral stenosis
• Percutaneous pulmonary valvuloplasty for pulmonic stenosis Percutaneous aortic valvuloplasty for aortic stenosis

Cardiomyopathy

• Diagnosis and evaluation of cardiomyopathic conditions using endomyocardial biopsy
• Hemodynamic and metabolic assessment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using transvenous pacing protocols, percutaneous septal myocardial ablation

Pericardial Disease

• Diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis
• Drainage of pericardial effusions
• Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy

Peripheral Artery Disease

• Diagnosis and treatment of renal artery stenosis
• Diagnosis and treatment of iliac and femoral artery stenosis

Adult Congenital Heart Disease

• Diagnosis of congenital heart abnormalities
• Percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects
• Percutaneous pulmonary valvuloplasty for pulmonic stenosis
• Stenting for pulmonary artery stensis

Aortic Disease

• Diagnosis of aortic aneurysms including those in Marfan patients Diagnosis of aortic dissection