Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Can Right Ventricular Endomyocardial Biopsy Predict Left Ventricular Fibrosis Beforehand in Dilated Cardiomyopathy?
Authors' conclusion
The fibrosis observed in RV-EMB positively correlated with the extent of fibrosis in the LV of excised hearts in patients with DCM.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) who had right ventricular (RV) endomyocardial biopsy and later heart excision (52 explanted for transplant, 18 autopsied)
- Participants
- 70 RV-EMB specimens
- Exposure
- Fibrosis in RV-EMB vs fibrosis in left ventricle (LV) of excised hearts
- Outcome
- Correlation of fibrosis area ratio in RV-EMB with LV fibrosis in excised hearts
- Follow-up
- Median biopsy–excision interval 4.1 (0.13-19.3) years
Methodological detailsFibrosis area ratio by image analysis; septal CMR-LGE distribution classified into four quartile categories
- Fibrosis area ratio by image analysis; septal CMR-LGE distribution classified into four quartile categories
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Fibrosis area ratio, RV-EMB vs LV of excised hearts
Correlation of RV-EMB fibrosis with short-axis LV fibrosis of excised hearts
r = 0.82, P < 0.0001
Correlation of RV-EMB fibrosis with diffuse pattern of LGE
r = 0.71, P = 0.003
Multivariate association with LV fibrosis, adjusted for biopsy–excision interval: regression coefficient 0.82 (95% CI 0.68-0.95)
P < 0.0001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Can Right Ventricular Endomyocardial Biopsy Predict Left Ventricular Fibrosis Beforehand in Dilated Cardiomyopathy? ESC Heart Fail. Published 17 January 2024. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it