The value of cardiac MRI versus echocardiography in the pre-operative assessment of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Abstract Background/purpose Duchenne Mmuscular Ddystrophy (DMD) related cardiomyopathy is associated with significant perioperative mortality. Cardiac MRI (CMR) has not previously been systematically evaluated as pre-operative assessment tool for heart function in DMD. Our aim was to establish whether CMR versus echocardiography contributes to pre-operative DMD assessment. Methods Case records were retrospectively reviewed of 35 consecutive DMD boys who underwent evaluation for surgical procedures between 2010 and 2013. Results Echocardiography revealed a median left ventricular (LV) shortening fraction (SF) of 29/% (range: 7–44). 37% of boys (13/35) had abnormal SF Conclusion Our findings clearly demonstrate the added value of CMR versus echocardiography in assessing DMD-cardiomyopathy. Particularly when echocardiographic scanning windows are suboptimal, CMR should be considered to allow accurate pre-operative cardiac assessment.