Evaluation of left cardiac chamber function with cardiac magnetic resonance and association with outcome in patients with systemic sclerosis
Steele C. ButcherJacqueline L VosFederico FortuniXavier GallooSophie I E LiemJeroen J. BaxVictoria DelgadoMadelon C VonkSander I. van LeuvenMiranda SnoerenSaloua El MessaoudiJeska K de Vries-BouwstraRobin NijveldtNina Ajmone Marsan
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This study aimed to determine whether lower values of feature-tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived left atrial reservoir strain (LARS) and impaired left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) were associated with the presence of symptoms and long-term prognosis in patients with SSc.A total of 100 patients {54 [interquartile range (IQR) 46-64] years, 42% male} with SSc who underwent CMR imaging at two tertiary referral centres were included. All patients underwent analysis of LARS and LV GLS using feature-tracking on CMR and were followed-up for the occurrence of all-cause mortality.The median LV GLS was -21.8% and the median LARS was 36%. On multivariable logistic regression, LARS [odds ratio (OR) 0.964 per %, 95% CI 0.929, 0.998, P = 0.049] was independently associated with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-IV heart failure symptoms. Over a median follow-up of 37 (21-62) months, a total of 24 (24%) patients died. Univariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that LARS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.94 per 1%, 95% CI 0.91, 0.97, P < 0.0001) and LV GLS (HR 1.10 per %, 95% CI 1.03, 1.17, P = 0.005) were associated with all-cause mortality, while LV ejection fraction was not. Likelihood ratio tests demonstrated that LARS provided incremental value over prognostically important clinical and imaging parameters, including late gadolinium enhancement.In patients with SSc, LARS was independently associated with the presence of NYHA class II-IV heart failure symptoms. Although both LARS and LV GLS were associated with all-cause mortality, only LARS provided incremental value over all evaluated variables known to be prognostically important in patients with SSc.Keywords:
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Direct assessment of myocardial fiber deformation with echocardiographic global longitudinal strain (GLS) has shown promise in providing prognostic information that is incremental to ejection fraction (EF) in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. 1 Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has now evolved into a major tool for evaluation of patients with left ventricular dysfunction, providing precise measurements of EF and viability assessment with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE).Recent development of CMR feature-tracking techniques now allow assessment of GLS from standard cine CMR images without the need for specialized pulse sequences or additional scanning time. 2 We therefore hypothesized that CMR feature-tracking derived GLS may provide incremental prognostic information in these patients.Consecutive patients (n=470) undergoing CMR with both cine and LGE imaging for evaluation of ischemic or nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy with EF <50% were included in this retrospective study.Comprehensive phenotyping, including clinical history, imaging, and cardiac catheterization, classified 330 individuals with ischemic and 140 with nonischemic cardiomyopathy.Institutional review board approval was obtained.Steady-state free-precession cine images were acquired in multiple short-axis and 3 long-axis views.LGE imaging was performed 10 to 15 minutes after Gadolinium contrast (0.15 mmol/kg) administration using a 2D-segmented gradient echo inversion recovery sequence in the same views used for cine CMR.The size of LGE (as a percentage of total left ventricular myocardium) was determined as previously described. 3Endocardial left ventricular contours were manually traced (by a single physician who was blinded to patient information and outcomes) in all 3 long-axis cine views to derive GLS using the Qstrain feature-tracking package (Medis Medical Imaging Systems).Patients were followed for the primary outcome of all-cause mortality using the US Social Security Death Index.Time to event was calculated as the period between the CMR study and death.Patients who did not experience the primary outcome were censored at the time of assessment.Analyses were performed using STATA (StataCorp).The mean age of the study population was 60±15years.Sixty-nine percent were male and 30% had diabetes mellitus.The mean EF was 34.2±9.8%.Mean GLS was -10.4±4.6%.Median GLS was -10.3% (interquartile range, -7.1 to -13.6%).During a median follow-up of 4.1years (interquartile range, 3.5-4.8years), 93(19.8%)patients died.By Kaplan-Meier analysis, the risk of death increased significantly with worsening tertiles of GLS (log-rank P<0.0001) (Figure A) as well as with increasing tertiles of LGE size (log-rank P=0.01) (Figure B).LGE size demonstrated a significant univariable association with death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.03 per %; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.05;P<0.001).Likewise, EF demonstrated a significant univari-
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Abstract Introduction Ejection fraction is the principal measure used clinically to assess cardiac mechanics and provides significant prognostic information. However, echocardiographic strain imaging has shown significant abnormalities of myocardial deformation can be present despite preserved ejection fraction, which maybe associated with adverse prognosis. Cardiac-Magnetic-Resonance (CMR) feature-tracking techniques now allow assessment of strain from routine cine-images, without specialized pulse sequences. Whether abnormalities of strain measured using CMR feature-tracking have prognostic value in patients with preserved ejection fraction is unknown. Purpose To evaluate the prognostic value of CMR feature-tracking derived global longitudinal strain (GLS) in a large multicenter population of patients with preserved ejection fraction. Methods Consecutive patients with preserved ejection fraction (EF ≥50%) and a clinical indication for CMR at four US medical centers were included in this study. Feature-tracking GLS was calculated from 3 long-axis-cine-views. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to examine the independent association between GLS and death. The incremental prognostic value of GLS was assessed in nested models. Results Of the 1274 patients in this study, 115 died during a median follow-up of 6.2 years. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with GLS ≥ median (−20%) had significantly reduced event free survival compared to those with GLS < median (log-rank p<0.001) (Figure, top panel). The continuous relationship between GLS and the hazard of death is shown in the cubic spline (Figure, lower panel). By Cox multivariable regression modeling, each 1% worsening in GLS was associated with a 23.6% increased risk-of-death after adjustment for clinical and imaging risk factors (HR=1.236 per %; p<0.001). Addition of GLS in this model resulted in significant-improvement in the global-chi-square (67 to 168; p<0.0001) and Harrel's C-statistic (0.716 to 0.825; p<0.0001). Conclusions CMR feature-tracking derived GLS is a powerful independent predictor of mortality in patients with preserved ejection fraction, incremental to common clinical and imaging risk factors.
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Objective: To compare the left ventricular ejection fraction on echocardiograph, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and single-photon emission computed tomography scan in heart failure patients.
Study Design: This was a prospective cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Tertiary Cardiac Care Center of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from Nov 2021 to Apr 2022.
Methodology: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted from November 2021 to April 2022 at a tertiary cardiac care center of Rawalpindi. Thirty (n=30) heart failure patients of either gender with reduced ejection fraction were selected by consecutive sampling technique and were analyzed to quantify their left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) using Echo, CMR and SPECT scan. All three modalities were used to measure LVEF in these patients and were compared accordingly.
Results: The LVEF measured by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Scan and Echocardiography was in the range of 15% to 67%. The mean LVEF was 37.2±14.2 by CMR, 37.17±14.1 by SPECT and 38±12.3 by Echo. The mean LVEF determined by SPECT was slightly lower while that determined by Echocardiography was slightly higher. The measured p-value of LVEF by the three modalities, however, indicated statistically difference (p-value <0.05).
Conclusion: Although the literature shows diversity in results of these modalities, CMR is considered the standard reference for assessment of LVEF when interpreted by an expert observer. We in our study found that all three modalities are complimentary to each other and can be used interchangeably depending upon the availability of the equipment and reporting expertise of the observers.
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Visual estimation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is still used in routine clinical practice. However, most of the studies evaluating the agreement between the visually estimated LVEF (ve-LVEF) and quantitatively measured LVEF (qm-LVEF) either have not used appropriate statistical methods or gold standard imaging modality. In this study, we aimed to assess the agreement between the ve-LVEF and qm-LVEF using contemporary statistical methods and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI).In 54 subjects who underwent 1.5-T CMRI, echocardiographic images were recorded after the CMRI procedure on the same day. Two independent observers estimated ve-LVEFs on echocardiographic records in a random and blinded fashion, and qm-LVEF was obtained by CMRI. Agreement between the ve-LVEF and qm-LVEF values and intra/interobserver ve-LVEF estimations were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman analysis, and kappa statistics.There was a high agreement between the ve-LVEF and qm-LVEF (ICC 0.93, 95% confidence interval 0.88-0.96). Bland-Altman analysis also demonstrated a good agreement between ve-LVEF and qm-LVEF with ve-LVEF, on average, being 0.6% lower than that obtained by CMRI (mean -0.6, limits of agreement -10.5 and +9.3). A good agreement was also observed for LVEF categories ≤35%, 36%-54%, and ≥55% (unweighted kappa 0.71, linearly weighted kappa 0.76); and LVEF of <55% and ≥55% (kappa 0.80). Intra/inter observer agreement was good for ve-LVEFs (ICC value 0.96 and 0.91, respectively).Visual approach for LVEF assessment may be used for rapid assessment of left ventricular systolic function in clinical practice, particularly in patients with good image quality.
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COVID-19 infection is associated with myocarditis, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the reference non-invasive imaging modality for myocardial tissue characterization. Quantitative CMR techniques, such as feature tracking (FT) and left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) analysis, have been introduced as promising diagnostic tools to improve the diagnostic accuracy of suspected myocarditis. The aim of this study was to analyze the left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) and the influence of T1 and T2 relaxation times, ECV, and LGE appearance on GLS parameters in a multiparametric imaging protocol in patients who recovered from COVID-19. The 86 consecutive patients enrolled in the study had all recovered from mild or moderate COVID-19 infections; none required hospitalization. Their persistent symptoms and suspected myocarditis led to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging within 3 months of the diagnosis of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Patients with GLS less negative than -15% had significantly lower LVEF (53.6% ± 8.9 vs. 61.6% ± 4.8; <0.001) and were significantly more likely to have prolonged T1 (28.6% vs. 7.5%; p = 0.019). Left ventricular GLS correlated significantly with T1 (r = 0.303; p = 0.006) and LVEF (r = -0.732; p < 0.001). Left ventricular GLS less negative than -15% was 7.5 times more likely in patients with prolonged T1 (HR 7.62; 95% CI 1.25-46.64). The reduced basal inferolateral longitudinal strain had a significant impact on the global left ventricular longitudinal strain. ROC results suggested that a GLS of 14.5% predicted prolonged T1 relaxation time with the best sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions: CMR abnormalities, including a myocarditis pattern, are common in patients who have recovered from COVID-19. The CMR feature-tracking left ventricular GLS is related to T1 relaxation time and may serve as a novel parameter to detect global and regional myocardial injury and dysfunction in patients with suspected myocardial involvement after recovery from COVID-19.
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Background The pulmonary artery (PA) distends as pressure increases. Hypothesis The ratio of PA to aortic (Ao) diameter may be an indicator of pulmonary hypertension and consequently carry prognostic information in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). Methods Patients with chronic HF and control subjects undergoing cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were evaluated. The main PA diameter and the transverse axial Ao diameter at the level of bifurcation of the main PA were measured. The maximum diameter of both vessels was measured throughout the cardiac cycle and the PA/Ao ratio was calculated. Results A total of 384 patients (mean age, 69 years; mean left ventricular ejection fraction, 40%; median NT‐proBNP, 1010 ng/L [interquartile range, 448–2262 ng/L]) and 38 controls were included. Controls and patients with chronic HF had similar maximum Ao and PA diameters and PA/Ao ratio. During a median follow‐up of 1759 days (interquartile range, 998–2269 days), 181 patients with HF were hospitalized for HF or died. Neither PA diameter nor PA/Ao ratio predicted outcome in univariable analysis. In a multivariable model, only age and NT‐proBNP were independent predictors of adverse events. Conclusions The PA/Ao ratio is not a useful method to stratify prognosis in patients with HF.
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