Late gadolinium-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance identifies patients with standardized definition of ischemic cardiomyopathy: A single centre experience

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Abstract

Background

Definition of ischemic cardiomyopathy (IC) is not always obvious, which is why new criteria based on prognosis and the extent of the coronary artery disease (CAD) have been proposed. In the present study, we assess the capability of late gadolinium-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) for predicting IC as determined by standardized criteria previously reported.

Methods and results

123 patients with heart failure (HF) and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, underwent both late gadolinium-enhanced CMR and coronary angiography 37 / 123 (30%) of patients were assigned to the IC group and 86 / 123 (70%) to the non-IC group. Subendocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was found in 35 / 37 (94%) of patients in the IC group, whereas only 12 / 86 (14%) had this distribution in the non-IC group (p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between the extent of subendocardial LGE and that of the CAD as determined by the CAD Prognostic Index (r = 0.78, p < 0.01), the number of coronary stenoses 50% (r = 0.76, p < 0.01) and the number of coronary stenoses of any percentage (r = 0.70, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

In patients with HF and LV systolic dysfunction presence of subendocardial LGE makes an excellent indicator of underlying significant CAD, and the extent of the LGE correlates with the severity of the disease. It is therefore appealing as a method for diagnosing IC.

Introduction

Because of the high rate of coronary disease in patients suffering from heart failure (HF) and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, the etiological analysis is based on excluding underlying coronary artery disease (CAD) [1], [2], [3]. Heart failure associated with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy may be clinically indistinguishable from that caused by ischemic cardiomyopathy (IC). The angina symptoms and risk factors generally associated with CAD are not sufficient as exclusion criteria nor are they invariable. Furthermore the frequent association with complete left bundle branch block in the ECG makes diagnosis even more difficult, since it impedes the detection of Q waves suggestive of a previous myocardial infarction [4].

The final diagnosis of IC depends on documenting obstructive CAD by means of coronary angiography, but even with the observational information about the coronary anatomy, the determination of IC is not always simple or obvious, which is why new criteria based on prognosis and the extent of the disease have been proposed [5], [6]. Although coronary angiography carries little risk of complications, those complications can be serious [7], and a noninvasive diagnostic approximation may therefore be preferable, especially in patients who present without any chest pain.

It has been shown recently that using late gadolinium-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to detect areas of necrotic tissue in the myocardium of patients with HF makes it possible to identify those with underlying CAD [8], even in patients without a history of myocardial infarction or clinical findings suggestive of CAD [9].

In the present study, we adopt the hypothesis that areas of subendocardial myocardial necrosis are highly prevalent in patients suffering from HF with LV systolic dysfunction due to CAD. We assess the capability of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) for predicting IC as determined by standardized criteria previously reported [6].

Section snippets

Patient population

We prospectively selected the patients from our cardiology department either at hospital admission or during scheduled visits to our HF clinic. The selection criteria were the following: 1. clinical evidence of HF; 2. LV systolic dysfunction documented by echocardiograms as LV ejection fraction < 50%. The exclusion criteria were: 1. acute myocardial infarction and/or unstable angina in the previous three months; 2. secondary causes of HF, including significant primary valve disease and

Results

Based on clinical histories and the results from coronary angiography, 37 / 123 (30%) of patients were assigned to the IC group and 86 / 123 (70%) to the nonischemic cardiomyopathy group. The baseline characteristics of the patients in both groups are shown in Table 1. The patients in the IC group were older and had more risk factors. There were no significant differences in gender, nor in the LV ejection fraction, New York Heart Association functional class, progress of the disease over time, and

Discussion

The present study demonstrates that the presence of subendocardial LGE found by CMR in patients with HF and LV systolic dysfunction is an excellent indicator for predicting IC as determined by standardized criteria previously reported [6]. If subendocardial LGE is absent, then IC is very improbable. In our study, subendocardial LGE was not observed in only two patients who were classified in the IC group (negative predictive value 97%, IC 95% 93–100), and they both presented with obstructive

Acknowledgements

This research was funded in part by Grant FIS PI042591 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

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