Bio-imaging: late gadolinium enhancement in dilated cardiomyopathy and its relation to novel biomarkers of fibrosis and remodeling

Background Focal myocardial fibrosis is frequently observed in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and predicts future major adverse cardiovascular events and patient outcome. However, the pathogenesis of fibrosis in DCM remains poorly understood. Novel serum biomarkers of fibrosis such as Endoglin have been recently identified as a trigger of myocardial fibrosis in heart failure. Accordingly, we sought to investigate the relationship between myocardial tissue fibrosis as identified by noninvasive late gadolinium contrast enhancement (LGE) CMR and serum biomarkers of fibrosis/ remodeling in a cohort of DCM patients.