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Abstract Background Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two common comorbidities of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), each of which can cause right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of DM on RV dysfunction and ventricular interdependence in hypertensive HFrEF patients via cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) feature tracking. Methods This study included 249 patients with HFrEF: 77 HFrEF controls, 97 with hypertensive HFrEF (HTN-HFrEF [DM-]) and 75 with hypertensive HFrEF and comorbid DM (HTN-HFrEF [DM+]). The cardiac MRI-derived biventricular global radial (GRS), circumferential (GCS) and longitudinal (GLS) peak strains were obtained and compared among the groups. Multivariable linear regression and mediation analyses were used to evaluate the effects of DM and left ventricular (LV) strain on RV strain. Results The biventricular GLS and GLS of segments 8, 9 and 14 of the interventricular septum (IVS) decreased gradually from the HFrEF control group to the HTN-HFrEF (DM−) group to the HTN-HFrEF (DM+) group (all P

Abstract Background It remains unclear whether the association between dyslipidemia status and triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index with myocardial damage varies in the context of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to determine the differential effects of dyslipidemia status and TyG index on left ventricular (LV) global function and myocardial microcirculation in patients with T2DM using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Methods A total of 226 T2DM patients and 72 controls who underwent CMR examination were included. The T2DM group was further categorized into subgroups based on the presence or absence of dyslipidemia (referred to as T2DM (DysL+) and T2DM (DysL-)) or whether the TyG index exceeded 9.06. CMR-derived LV perfusion parameters, remodeling index, and global function index (GFI) were assessed and compared among groups. A multivariable linear regression model was employed to evaluate the effects of various variables on LV myocardial microcirculation, remodeling index, and GFI. Results The LV GFI sequentially decreased in controls, T2DM (DysL-), and T2DM (DysL+) groups (p

Abstract Background The adverse prognostic impact of diabetes on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is poorly understood. We sought to explore the underlying mechanisms in terms of structural and functional remodelling in HCM patients with coexisting diabetes (HCM-DM). Methods A total of 45 HCM-DM patients were retrospectively included. Isolated HCM controls (HCM patients without diabetes) were matched to HCM-DM patients in terms of maximal wall thickness, age, and gender distribution. Left ventricular (LV) and atrial (LA) performance were evaluated using cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking strain analyses. The associations between diabetes and LV/LA impairment were investigated by univariable and multivariable linear regression. Results Compared with the isolated HCM controls, the HCM-DM patients had smaller end-diastolic volume and stroke volume, lower ejection fraction, larger mass/volume ratio and impaired strains in all three directions (all P

Abstract Background Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is associated with a high rate of mortality and morbidity. Evidence has shown that sex differences may be an important contributor to phenotypic heterogeneity in patients with HFrEF. Although diabetes mellitus (DM) frequently coexists with HFrEF and results in a worse prognosis, there remains a need to identify sex-related differences in the characteristics and outcomes of this population. In this study, we aimed to investigate the between-sex differences in clinical profile, left ventricular (LV) remodeling, and cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes in patients with HFrEF concomitant with DM. Methods A total of 273 patients with HFrEF concomitant with DM who underwent cardiac MRI were included in this study. Clinical characteristics, LV remodeling as assessed by cardiac MRI, and cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes were compared between sexes. Results Women were older, leaner and prone to have anemia and hypoproteinemia but less likely to have ischemic etiology. Cardiac MRI revealed that despite similar LVEFs between the sexes, there was more LV concentric remodeling, less impaired global systolic peak strain in longitudinal and circumferential components and a decreased likelihood of late gadolinium enhancement presence in women than in men. During a median follow-up time of 34.6 months, women exhibited better overall survival than men did (log-rank P = 0.042). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated different risk factors for predicting outcomes between sexes, with hypertension [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05 to 4.85, P = 0.041] and hypoproteinemia (HR = 2.27, 95% CI 1.06 to 4.37, P = 0.039) serving as independent determinants of outcomes in women, whereas ischemic etiology (HR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.11 to 3.48, P = 0.021) and atrial fibrillation (HR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.41, P = 0.044) served as independent determinants of outcomes in men. Conclusions Among patients with HFrEF concomitant with DM, women displayed different LV remodeling and risk factors and had better survival than men did. Sex-based phenotypic heterogeneity in patients with HFrEF in the context of DM should be addressed in clinical practice.

Abstract Background Glycemic control, as measured by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), is an important biomarker to evaluate diabetes severity and is believed to be associated with heart failure development. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) commonly coexist, and the combination of these two diseases indicates a considerably poorer outcome than either disease alone. Therefore, glycemic control should be carefully managed. The present study aimed to explore the association between glycemic control and clinical outcomes, and to determine the optimal glycemic target in this specific population. Methods A total of 262 patients who underwent cardiac MRI were included and were split by HbA1c levels [HbA1c 7.5% (poor control)]. The biventricular volume and function, as well as left ventricular (LV) systolic strains in patients in different HbA1c categories, were measured and compared. The primary and secondary outcomes were recorded. The association of different HbA1c levels with adverse outcomes was assessed. Results Despite similar biventricular ejection fractions, both patients with intensive and poor glycemic control exhibited prominent deterioration of LV systolic strain in the longitudinal component (P = 0.004). After a median follow-up of 35.0 months, 55 patients (21.0%) experienced at least one confirmed endpoint event. Cox multivariable analysis indicated that both patients in the lowest and highest HbA1c categories exhibited a more than 2-fold increase in the risk for primary outcomes [HbA1c 7.5%: HR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.01–4.99; P = 0.038] and secondary outcomes (HbA1c 7.5%: HR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.08–6.50; P = 0.038) compared with those in the middle HbA1c category. Conclusions We showed a U-shaped association of glycemic control with clinical outcomes in patients with T2DM and HFrEF, with the lowest risk of adverse outcomes among patients with modest glycemic control. HbA1c between 6.5% and 7.5% may be served as the optimal hypoglycemic target in this specific population.

Abstract Background Microvascular pathology is one of the main characteristics of diabetic cardiomyopathy; however, the early longitudinal course of diabetic microvascular dysfunction remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the early dynamic changes in left ventricular (LV) microvascular function in diabetic pig model using the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived quantitative perfusion technique. Methods Twelve pigs with streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) were included in this study, and longitudinal CMR scanning was performed before and 2, 6, 10, and 16 months after diabetic modeling. CMR-derived semiquantitative parameters (upslope, maximal signal intensity, perfusion index, and myocardial perfusion reserve index [MPRI]) and fully quantitative perfusion parameters (myocardial blood flow [MBF] and myocardial perfusion reserve [MPR]) were analyzed to evaluate longitudinal changes in LV myocardial microvascular function. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between LV structure and function and myocardial perfusion function. Results With the progression of DM duration, the upslope at rest showed a gradually increasing trend (P = 0.029); however, the upslope at stress and MBF did not change significantly (P > 0.05). Regarding perfusion reserve function, both MPRI and MPR showed a decreasing trend with the progression of disease duration (MPRI, P = 0.001; MPR, P = 0.042), with high consistency (r = 0.551, P

Abstract Background Sarcopenia is frequently found in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and is associated with reduced exercise capacity, poor quality of life and adverse outcomes. Recent evidence suggests that axial thoracic skeletal muscle size could be used as a surrogate to assess sarcopenia in HFrEF. Since diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common comorbidities with HFrEF, we aimed to explore the potential association of axial thoracic skeletal muscle size with left ventricular (LV) remodeling and determine its prognostic significance in this condition. Methods A total of 243 diabetes patients with HFrEF were included in this study. Bilateral axial thoracic skeletal muscle size was obtained using cardiac MRI. Patients were stratified by the tertiles of axial thoracic skeletal muscle index (SMI). LV structural and functional indices, as well as amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), were measured. The determinants of elevated NT-proBNP were assessed using linear regression analysis. The associations between thoracic SMI and clinical outcomes were assessed using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. Results Patients in the lowest tertile of thoracic SMI displayed a deterioration in LV systolic strain in three components, together with an increase in LV mass and a heavier burden of myocardial fibrosis (all P

Abstract Background Gadolinium-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the most widely used approach for diagnosing myocardial fibrosis with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in cardiomyopathy associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Given the limitations and safety of gadolinium use, we wanted to develop and evaluate multi-parametric pre-contrast CMR models for the diagnosis of LGE and investigate whether they could be utilised as surrogates for LGE in DMD patients. Methods A total of 136 DMD patients were prospectively recruited and separated into LGE − and LGE + groups. In the first subset of patients (derivation cohort), regression models for the diagnosis of LGE were built by logistic regression using pre-contrast sequence parameters. In a validation cohort of other patients, the models’ performances were evaluated. Results EF, native T1 and longitudinal strain alone, as well as their combinations form seven models. The model that included EF, native T1 and longitudinal strain had the best diagnostic value, but there was no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy among the other models except EF. In the validation cohort, the diagnosis outcomes of models were moderate consistent with the existence of LGE. The longitudinal strain outperformed the other models in terms of diagnostic value (sensitivity: 83.33%, specificity: 54.55%). Conclusions Pre-contrast sequences have a moderate predictive value for LGE. Thus, pre-contrast parameters may be considered only in a specific subset of DMD patients who cannot cooperate for long-time examinations and have contradiction of contrast agent to help predict the presence of LGE. Trial registration number (TRN) ChiCTR1800018340 Date of registration 20180107

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common metabolic disease worldwide and a major risk factor for adverse cardiovascular events, while the additive effects of DM on left ventricular (LV) deformation in the restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) cohort remain unclear. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate the additive effects of DM on LV deformation in patients with RCM. Materials and methods One hundred thirty-six RCM patients without DM [RCM(DM−)], 46 with DM [RCM (DM+)], and 66 age- and sex-matched control subjects who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scanning were included. LV function, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) type, and LV global peak strains (including radial, circumferential, and longitudinal directions) were measured. The determinant of reduced LV global myocardial strain for all RCM patients was assessed using multivariable linear regression analyses. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was performed to illustrate the relationship between DM and decreased LV deformation. Results Compared with the control group, RCM (DM−) and RCM(DM+) patients presented increased LV end-diastolic index and end-systolic volume index and decreased LV ejection fraction. LV GPS in all three directions and longitudinal PDSR progressively declined from the control group to the RCM(DM−) group to the RCM(DM+) group (all p

Abstract Background Insulin is commonly used in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to achieve glycemic control. However, recent evidence showed that insulin use is associated with poor outcomes in the context of heart failure (HF). Since heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) accounts for approximately 50% of cases in the general HF population, we aimed to evaluate the effect of insulin treatment on left ventricular (LV) remodeling and contractility abnormalities in a HFrEF cohort and assess whether insulin was a predictor of adverse outcomes in this entity. Methods A total of 377 HFrEF patients who underwent cardiac MRI were included and divided according to diabetes status and the need for insulin treatment. LV structural and functional indices, as well as systolic strains, were measured. The determinants of impaired myocardial strains were assessed using linear regression analysis. The associated endpoints were determined using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. Results T2DM patients on insulin displayed a higher indexed LV end-diastolic volume and LV mass than those with T2DM not on insulin or those without T2DM, despite similar LV ejection fractions, accompanied by a higher three-dimensional spherical index (P

Abstract Background To investigate the difference of right ventricular (RV) structural and functional alteration in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and the ventricular interdependence in these patients, using cardiac MR (CMR) feature tracking. Methods From December 2016 to February 2022, 148 clinically diagnosed patients with DM who underwent cardiac MR (CMR) in our hospital were consecutively recruited. Fifty-four healthy individuals were included as normal controls. Biventricular strains, including left/right ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-/RVGLS), left/right ventricular global circumferential strain (LV-/RVGCS), left/right ventricular global radial strain (LV-/RVGRS) were evaluated, and compared between patients with DM and healthy controls. Multiple linear regression and mediation analyses were used to evaluate DM's direct and indirect effects on RV strains. Results No differences were found in age (56.98 ± 10.98 vs. 57.37 ± 8.41, p = 0.985), sex (53.4% vs. 48.1%, p = 0.715), and body surface area (BSA) (1.70 ± 0.21 vs. 1.69 ± 0.17, p = 0.472) between DM and normal controls. Patients with DM had decreased RVGLS (− 21.86 ± 4.14 vs. − 24.49 ± 4.47, p = 0.001), RVGCS (− 13.16 ± 3.86 vs. − 14.92 ± 3.08, p = 0.011), and no decrease was found in RVGRS (22.62 ± 8.11 vs. 23.15 ± 9.05, p = 0.743) in patients with DM compared with normal controls. The difference in RVGLS between normal controls and patients with DM was totally mediated by LVGLS (indirect effecting: 0.655, bootstrapped 95%CI 0.138–0.265). The difference in RVGCS between normal controls and DM was partly mediated by the LVGLS (indirect effecting: 0.336, bootstrapped 95%CI 0.002–0.820) and LVGCS (indirect effecting: 0.368, bootstrapped 95%CI 0.028–0.855). Conclusions In the patients with DM and preserved LVEF, the difference in RVGLS between DM and normal controls was totally mediated by LVGLS. Although there were partly mediating effects of LVGLS and LVGCS, the decrease in RVGCS might be directly affected by the DM.

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered a major risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI), and MI patients with DM have a poor prognosis. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate the additive effects of DM on LV deformation in patients after acute MI. Materials and methods One hundred thirteen MI patients without DM [MI (DM−)], 95 with DM [MI (DM+)] and 71 control subjects who underwent CMRscanning were included. LV function, infarct size and LV global peak strains in the radial, circumferential and longitudinal directions were measured. MI (DM+) patients were divided into two subgroups based on the HbA1c level (

Abstract Background Previous researches on large animal models of diabetic cardiomyopathy were insufficient. The aim of this study was to evaluate early changes in left ventricular (LV) function and morphology in diabetic pigs using a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) time-volume curve and feature tracking technique. Methods Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce diabetic in sixteen pigs. 3.0T MRI scanned the pig’s heart before and 2, 6, 10 and 16 months after modelling. CMR biomarkers, including time-volume curve and myocardial strain, were compared to analyse the longitudinal changes in LV function and morphology. Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between LV strain and remodelling. Cardiac specimens were obtained at 6, 10, and 16 months after modelling to observe the myocardial ultrastructural and microstructure at different courses of diabetes. Results Twelve pigs developed diabetes. The 80% diastolic volume recovery rate (DVR) at 6 months after modelling was significantly higher than that before modelling (0.78 ± 0.08vs. 0.67 ± 0.15). The LV global longitudinal peak strain (GLPS) (− 10.21 ± 3.15 vs. − 9.74 ± 2.78 vs. − 9.38 ± 3.71 vs. − 8.71 ± 2.68 vs. − 6.59 ± 2.90%) altered gradually from the baseline data to 2, 6, 10 and 16 months after modelling. After 16 months of modelling, the LV remodelling index (LVRI) of pigs increased compared with that before modelling (2.19 ± 0.97 vs. 1.36 ± 0.45 g/ml). The LVRI and myocardial peak strain were correlated in diabetic pigs (r= − 0.40 to − 0.54), with GLPS being the most significant. Electron microscopy and Masson staining showed that myocardial damage and fibrosis gradually increased with the progression of the disease. Conclusion Intravenous injection of STZ can induce a porcine diabetic cardiomyopathy model, mainly characterized by decreased LV diastolic function and strain changes accompanied by myocardial remodelling. The changes in CMR biomarkers could reflect the early myocardial injury of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

BackgroundPatients with gynecologic cancers experience side effects of chemotherapy cardiotoxicity. We aimed to quantify cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) markers of myocardial fibrosis in patients with gynecologic cancer and low cardiovascular risk who undergo chemotherapy.MethodsThis study is part of a registered clinical research. CMR T1 mapping was performed in patients with gynecologic cancer and low cardiovascular risk undergoing chemotherapy. The results were compared with those of age-matched healthy control subjects.Results68 patients (median age = 50 years) and 30 control subjects were included. The median number of chemotherapy cycles of patients was 9.0 (interquartile range [IQR] 3.3–17.0). Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) (27.2% ± 2.7% vs. 24.5% ± 1.7%, P < 0.001) and global longitudinal strain (−16.2% ± 2.8% vs. −17.4% ± 2.0%, P = 0.040) were higher in patients compared with controls. Patients with higher chemotherapy cycles (>6 cycles) (n=41) had significantly lower intracellular mass indexed (ICMi) compared with both patients with lower chemotherapy cycles (≤6 cycles) (n=27) (median 27.44 g/m2 [IQR 24.03–31.15 g/m2] vs. median 34.30 g/m2 [IQR 29.93–39.79 g/m2]; P = 0.002) and the control group (median 27.44 g/m2 [IQR 24.03–31.15 g/m2] vs. median 32.79 g/m2 [IQR 27.74–35.76 g/m2]; P = 0.002). Patients with two or more chemotherapy regimens had significantly lower ICMi compared with both patients with one chemotherapy regimen (27.45 ± 5.16 g/m2 vs. 33.32 ± 6.42 g/m2; P < 0.001) and the control group (27.45 ± 5.16 g/m2 vs. 33.02 ± 5.52 g/m2; P < 0.001). The number of chemotherapy cycles was associated with an increase in the ECV (Standard regression coefficient [β] = 0.383, P = 0.014) and a decrease in the ICMi (β = -0.349, P = 0.009).ConclusionPatients with gynecologic cancer and low cardiovascular risk who undergo chemotherapy have diffuse extracellular volume expansion, which is obvious with the increase of chemotherapy cycles. Myocyte loss may be part of the mechanism in patients with a higher chemotherapy load.Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR-DDD-17013450.

Abstract Background Progressive cardiomyopathy accounts for almost all mortality among Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients.‍ Thus, our aim was to comprehensively characterize myocardial involvement by investigating the heterogeneity of native T1 mapping in DMD patients using global and regional (including segmental and layer-specific) analysis across a large cohort. Methods We prospectively enrolled 99 DMD patients (8.8 ± 2.5 years) and 25 matched male healthy controls (9.5 ± 2.5 years). All subjects underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with cine, T1 mapping and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequences. Native T1 values based on the global and regional myocardium were measured, and LGE was defined. Results LGE was present in 49 (49%) DMD patients. Global native T1 values were significantly longer in LGE-positive (LGE +) patients than in healthy controls, both in basal slices (1304 ± 55 vs. 1246 ± 27 ms, p

Abstract Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (MI). The interaction of diabetic cardiomyopathy and MI scars on myocardial deformation in T2DM patients is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate myocardial deformation using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in T2DM patients with previous MI and investigated the influence of myocardial scar on left ventricular (LV) deformation. Methods Overall, 202 T2DM patients, including 46 with MI (T2DM(MI+)) and 156 without MI (T2DM(MI−)), and 59 normal controls who underwent CMR scans were included. Myocardial scars were assessed by late gadolinium enhancement. LV function and deformation, including LV global function index, LV global peak strain (PS), peak systolic strain rate (PSSR), and peak diastolic strain rate (PDSR), were compared among these groups. Correlation and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between myocardial scars and LV deformation. Results Decreases were observed in LV function and LV global PS, PSSR, and PDSR in the T2DM(MI+) group compared with those of the other groups. Reduced LV deformation (p

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of mitral regurgitation (MR) on cardiac structure and function in left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) patients. The clinical and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) data for 182 patients with noncompaction or hypertrabeculation from three institutes were retrospectively included. We analyzed the difference in left ventricular geometry, cardiac function between LVNC patients with and without MR. The results showed that patients with MR had a worse New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and a higher incidence of arrhythmia (P

Abstract Background End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are at high cardiovascular risk, and myocardial fibrosis (MF) accounts for most of their cardiac events. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prognostic value and risk stratification of MF as measured by extracellular volume (ECV) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for heart failure (HF) in patients with hemodialysis-dependent ESRD. Methods Sixty-six hemodialysis ESRD patients and 25 matched healthy volunteers were prospectively enrolled and underwent CMR to quantify multiple parameters of MF by T1 mapping and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). All ESRD patients were followed up for 11–30 months, and the end-point met the 2016 ESC guidelines for the definition of HF. Results Over a median follow-up of 18 months (range 11–30 months), there were 26 (39.39%) guideline-diagnosed HF patients in the entire cohort of ESRD subjects. The native T1 value was elongated, and ECV was enlarged in the HF cohort relative to the non-HF cohort and normal controls (native T1, 1360.10 ± 50.14 ms, 1319.39 ± 55.44 ms and 1276.35 ± 56.56 ms; ECV, 35.42 ± 4.42%, 31.85 ± 3.01% and 26.97 ± 1.87%; all p

Abstract Background Most reported cases of right anomalous coronary artery from the opposite sinus (R-ACAOS) have benign clinical outcomes. However, patients with left ACAOS (L-ACAOS) and some of the patients with R-ACAOS are more at risk for arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, which remains a major concern. Here we report the prevalence and anatomical features of ACAOS patients. Moreover, we explore the high-risk morphological signs and evaluate their mid-term prognostic value in R-ACAOS patients without surgical intervention. Methods Data from coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) of 30,593 patients, pertaining to a single center over 5 consecutive years, were retrospectively analyzed. The image analysis included stenosis severity ranking and high-risk anatomy evaluation, based on the commercially available image post-processing software OsirX. Patients with R-ACAOS and without evidence of coronary atherosclerosis (CAD) were followed-up, with recording of the cardiovascular clinical events. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify the potential anatomical risk factors of cardiovascular clinical events for non-CAD R-ACAOS patients, using R project. Results The prevalence of ACAOS in the study population was 0.69% (211/30593). Significant differences were found between patients with mild ( 50%) stenosis, in terms of height-to-weight ratio (HW ratio), take-off angle, and proximal stenosis length. A total of 54 cardiovascular clinical events were observed among 108 non-CAD R-ACAOS patients and an average follow-up of 27.8 ± 18.7 months. Among those patients’ anatomical features, stenosis severity was the main risk factor for cardiovascular clinical events during the mid-term follow-up, with a risk ratio of 4.14 (95% CI: 1.78 to 9.63, P

Objectives. To compare right ventricular thickness (RVT) and deformation of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients. Methods. Sixty CA (mean age 58 ± 10 years; 33 males (55%)) and sixty HCM patients (mean age 55 ± 14 years; 27 males (45%)) were retrospectively enrolled. RVT, global radical peak strain (GRPS), global longitudinal peak strain (GLPS), and global circumferential peak stain (GCPS) were analyzed. To determine the cutoff values of the RVT and RV strain parameters for distinguishing CA from HCM, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) were analyzed. Results. RVT of CA patients was significantly thicker than that of HCM patients (7.8 ± 2.1 vs 5.9 ± 1.3, p

Abstract Background Early detection of subclinical myocardial dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is essential for recommending therapeutic interventions that can prevent or reverse heart failure, thereby improving the prognosis in such patients. This study aims to quantitatively evaluate left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation and perfusion using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and to investigate the association between LV subclinical myocardial dysfunction and coronary microvascular perfusion. Methods We recruited 71 T2DM patients and 30 healthy individuals as controls who underwent CMR examination. The T2DM patients were subdivided into two groups, namely the newly diagnosed DM group (n = 31, patients with diabetes for ≤ 5 years) and longer-term DM group (n = 40, patients with diabetes > 5 years). LV deformation parameters, including global peak strain (PS), peak systolic strain rate, and peak diastolic strain rate (PSDR), and myocardial perfusion parameters such as upslope, time to maximum signal intensity (TTM), and max signal intensity (Max SI, were measured and compared among the three groups. Pearson’s correlation was used to evaluate the correlation between LV deformation and perfusion parameters. Results Pooled data from T2DM patients showed a decrease in global longitudinal, circumferential, and radial PDSR compared to healthy individuals, apart from lower upslope. In addition, increased TTM and reduced Max SI were found in the longer-term diabetics compared to the normal subjects (p

Abstract Background Coarctation of aorta (CoA) may progressively develop aortic dilation at other site of the aorta and can lead to fatal aortic diseases. We aimed to evaluate the occurrence of aortic dilation and related predictors in patients with CoA using dual-source computed tomography (DSCT). Methods Fifty-three patients with CoA identified by DSCT were retrospectively reviewed. Aortic diameters were measured at six different levels and standardized as z-scores based on the square root of body surface area. Coarctation site–diaphragm ratio (CDR) was used to describe the degree of narrowing. A total of 26 patients were included in mild group (CDR > 50%) and 27 in severe group (CDR

Abstract Pulmonary regurgitation (PR) is the most common complication after tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) surgical repair, and long-term PR might result in cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of pre-operative right ventricle (RV) and pulmonary artery (PA) parameters assessed by dual-source computed tomography on post-operative PR. A total of 41 TOF patients who underwent trans-valve surgical repair were retrospectively recruited. The RV and PA parameters evaluated by pre-operative DSCT were compared between the PR and non-PR groups. Our result revealed that the PA parameters (McGoon ratio, Nakata index, and LPA diameter) and RV parameters (RV length diameter and RV short diameter) all showed significant differences between the two groups (all p

Abstract Background To investigate the diagnostic value of dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) in the evaluation of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)-associated extracardiac vascular abnormalities in pediatric patients compared with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Methods One hundred and twenty-three pediatric patients diagnosed with TOF were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent DSCT and TTE preoperatively. All associated extracardiac vascular abnormalities and their percentages were recorded. The diagnostic performances of DSCT and TTE were compared based on the surgical results. The image quality of DSCT was rated, and the effective radiation dose (ED) was calculated. Results A total of 159 associated extracardiac vascular deformities were confirmed by surgery. Patent ductus arteriosus (36, 22.64%), right-sided aortic arch (29, 18.24%), and pulmonary valve stenosis (23, 14.47%) were the most common associated extracardiac vascular abnormalities. DSCT was superior to TTE in demonstrating associated extracardiac anomalies (diagnostic accuracy: 99.13% vs. 97.39%; sensitivity: 92.45% vs. 77.07%; specificity: 99.81% vs. 99.42%). The agreement on grading the image quality of DSCT was excellent (κ = 0.80), and the mean score of the image quality was 3.39 ± 0.50. The mean ED of DSCT was 0.86 ± 0.47 mSv. Conclusions Compared to TTE, low-dose DSCT has high diagnostic accuracy in the depiction of associated extracardiac vascular anomalies in pediatric patients with TOF, and could provide more morphological details for surgeons.

Abstract Clinically, assessment of myocardial function is essential in patients with amyloid light-chain cardiac amyloidosis (AL-CA) to predict outcome and determine therapeutic approach. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived feature tracking algorithm for assessing left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation in AL-CA, and to determine if these abnormal myocardial deformation parameters are correlated to impaired LV myocardial microvascular dysfunction. A total of 42 AL-CA patients, including 26 with preserved systolic function and 16 with impaired LVEF, and 35 healthy controls were enrolled and underwent CMR examination. Our result indicated that AL-CA patients had significantly reduced global peak strain (PS) (longitudinal, circumferential, and radial) (all P

Abstract Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) may induce epicardial coronary artery diseases and left ventricular myocardial damaging as well. Left ventricular dysfunction was found in DM2. In this research, we compared the left ventricular dysfunction of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as normal controls using the volume-time curve of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Methods Sixty-one CAD patients (28 with DM2 and 33 without DM2) and 18 normal individuals were enrolled in this study. Left ventricular function parameters, including the end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (EDV, ESV), stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF), and morphologic dimension parameters (end diastolic and systolic diameter (EDD and ESD), were measured and compared. Volume-time curve parameters, including the peak ejection rate (PER), peak ejection time (PET), peak filling rate (PFR), peak filling time from ES (PFT), peak ejection rate normalized to EDV (PER/EDV), and peak filling rate normalized to EDV (PFR/EDV), were derived automatically and compared. Results LVEF in the diabetic CAD group was markedly reduced when compared to the normal and CAD without DM2 groups (all p 166.0 msec). Higher sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (100.0%) were obtained for PFR/EDV (criterion ≤3.7EDV/s). Conclusions Parameters that are derived from the volume-time curve on CMR, including PET, PFT and PFR/EDV, allow clinicians to predict left ventricular dysfunction in diabetic CAD subjects with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity.

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PURPOSE: To compare the characteristics of tubercular vs. leukemic involvement of abdominopelvic lymph nodes using multidetector computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed multidetector computed tomography features including lymph node size, shape, enhancement patterns, and anatomical distribution, in 106 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed, untreated tuberculosis (55 patients; 52%) or leukemia (51 patients; 48%). In patients with leukemia, 32 (62.7%) had chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and 19 (37.3%) had acute leukemias; of these, 10 (19.6%) had acute myeloid leukemia, and 9 (17.6%) had acute lymphocytic leukemia. RESULTS: The lower para-aortic (30.9% for tuberculosis, 63.2% for acute leukemias and 87.5% for chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and inguinal (9.1% for tuberculosis, 57.9% for acute leukemias and 53.1% for chronic lymphocytic leukemia) lymph nodes were involved more frequently in the three types of leukemia than in tuberculosis (both with p

To determine the value of dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) in depicting the morphological characteristics and diagnosing the associated malformations for patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) before surgery.Twenty-five patients with TGA who underwent DSCT and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) examination were retrospectively reviewed. The morphological types of TGA, the spatial relationship between the pulmonary artery and the aorta, as well as coronary artery-associated abnormalities were assessed by DSCT. In contrast to TTE, the diagnostic accuracy of associated malformations on DSCT were analyzed and calculated with reference to surgical or digital subtraction angiography (DSA) findings. Effective doses (EDs) were also calculated.Among the 25 patients, 12 (48%) had ventricular septal defects and left ventricular outflow tract stenosis. Sixteen patients (16/25, 64%) had great arteries with an oblique spatial relationship on DSCT. In addition, we found seven patients (7/25, 28%) with coronary artery malformation, including five with an abnormal coronary origin and two with signs of a myocardial bridge. According to DSA or surgical findings, DSCT was superior to TTE in demonstrating extracardiac anomalies (sensitivity, anomalies of great vessels: 100% vs. 93.33%, other anomalies: 100% vs. 46.15%). The mean estimated ED for those aged

To evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of retrospective electrocardiographically (ECG)-gated dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) for the assessment of double outlet right ventricle (DORV) and associated multiple malformations in pediatric patients.Forty-seven patients

PURPOSE: To determine whether 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could assess right ventricular (RV) function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and if this assessment is correlated with the New York Heart Function Assessment (NYHA) classification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-six patients with HCM and 23 normal individuals were recruited. Left and right ventricular function parameters including end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (EDV, ESV), stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF) and dimensions were measured and compared using 3.0-T MRI. RV function parameters between HCM patients and controls were compared using independent sample t tests. A one way ANOVA test with Bonferroni correction was used to determine significant differences among different NYHA groups. Receiver operating characteristic analyses calculated the sensitivity and specificity of RV dysfunction on MRI for the prediction of HCM severity. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed significant differences of left ventricular (LV) and RV volumetric values and masses between the HCM patients and controls (all p0.05). However, significant differences between the Class IV and I-III groups (all P

Background: Myocardial fibrosis is being increasingly recognised as a common final pathway of a wide range of diseases. Thus, the development of an accurate and convenient method to evaluate myocardial fibrosis is of major importance. Although T1 mapping is a potential alternative for myocardial biopsy, validation studies are limited to small numbers and vary regarding technical facets, and include only a restricted number of disease. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to objectively and comprehensively evaluate the performance of T1 mapping on the quantification of myocardial fibrosis using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). Methods: PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies applying T1 mapping to measure myocardial fibrosis and that validated the results via histological analysis. A pooled correlation coefficient between the CMR and histology measurements was used to evaluate the performance of the T1 mapping. Results: A total of 15 studies, including 308 patients who had CMR and myocardial biopsy were included and the pooled correlation coefficient between ECV measured by T1 mapping and biopsy for the selected studies was 0.884 (95% CI: 0.854, 0.914) and was not notably heterogeneous chi-squared = 7.44; P = 0.489 for the Q test and I^2 = 0.00%). Conclusions: The quantitative measurement of myocardial fibrosis via T1 mapping is associated with a favourable overall correlation with the myocardial biopsy measurements. Further studies are required to determine the calibration of the T1 mapping results for the biopsy findings of different cardiomyopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronary microvascular dysfunction is highly prevalent in patients with amyloid light-chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis (AL-CA). The aim of this study was to clarify the feasibility of first-pass perfusion imaging using 3 T cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) for evaluating the difference in left ventricular (LV) regional myocardial microvascular function among normal subjects and in patients with AL-CA. The amyloidosis patients were classified into those with impaired systolic function [LV ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50 %] and those with preserved systolic function. Methods: In total, 32 patients with biopsy-proven AL-CA, including 11 AL-CA patients with systolic dysfunction, 21 AL-CA patients with preserved systolic function, and 25 healthy subjects, underwent CMR examination. LV regional myocardial perfusion parameters included upslope, time to maximum signal intensity (TTM) and max signal intensity (MaxSI) were compared among the three patient groups. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to determine whether perfusion parameters could be used in discriminating regional myocardial microvascularity between AL-CA patients and normal subjects. Results: The patients with AL-CA had significantly reduced first-pass perfusion upslope and MaxSI, and increased TTM compared with the normal subjects (all P < 0.01). Compared with the patients with AL-CA and preserved LVEF, the patients with AL-CA and impaired systolic function had a longer TTM in the basal (47.05 ± 16.59 vs. 39.68 ± 19.11; P = 0.002) and mid-ventricular (44.61 ± 16.34 vs. 37.74 ± 18.25; P = 0.002) segments; lower upslope in the basal (2.41 ± 1.32 vs. 3.60 ± 1.68; P < 0.0001), mid-ventricular (2.82 ± 1.34 vs. 4.15 ± 2.02; P < 0.0001), and apical (3.71 ± 1.38 vs. 4.97 ± 2.55; P = 0.004) segments; and lower MaxSI (31.67 ± 15.23 vs. 37.96 ± 11.15; P < 0.0001) in the basal segment. The ROC curve analysis revealed that the first-pass upslope, TTM, and MaxSI may be used as indicators for differentiating microcirculation between AL-CA patients with preserved or impaired systolic function and normal subjects. Conclusions: The differences in LV regional myocardial microvascular function among normal subjects, AL-CA patients with systolic dysfunction, and AL-CA patients with preserved systolic function can be monitored using first-pass perfusion CMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]