Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Myocardial strain analysis by cardiac magnetic resonance 3D feature-tracking identifies subclinical abnormalities in patients with neuromuscular disease and no overt cardiac involvement
Authors' conclusion
3D-FT CMR detects subclinical cardiac muscle disease in patients with NMD even before the development of replacement fibrosis or ventricular remodelling which may be a useful imaging biomarker for early detection of cardiac involvement.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with neuromuscular disease
- Participants
- 111 vs 57
- Comparison
- NMD patients vs healthy volunteers
- NMDn = 111
- Healthy volunteersn = 57reference
- Outcome
- 2D and 3D LV myocardial strain (GCS, global radial strain (GRS), GLS, torsion) by FT-CMR
Methodological detailsage- and sex-matched healthy volunteers
- Age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
LV myocardial strain, NMD vs healthy volunteers
- Impaired 2D-GCS in NMD
- P < 0.001
- Impaired 2D-GRS (short-axis) in NMD
- P < 0.001
- No significant difference in 2D-GRS long-axis
- P = 0.101
- No significant difference in 2D-GLS
- P = 0.069
- No significant difference in torsion
- P = 0.122
- 3D-GRS, 3D-GCS and 3D-GLS significantly different vs control
- P < 0.0001 for all
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
3D strain in NMD without overt cardiac involvement (no LV dilation/hypertrophy, reduced LVEF or late gadolinium enhancement (LGE)) (subgroup)
- Significantly impaired 3D-GRS, global circumferential strain (GCS) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) vs control
- P < 0.0001
3D-GRS and GCS by LGE presence and pattern
- Significantly associated with LGE presence and pattern; most impaired with transmural LGE
Original publication
Myocardial strain analysis by cardiac magnetic resonance 3D feature-tracking identifies subclinical abnormalities in patients with neuromuscular disease and no overt cardiac involvement. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. Published 6 July 2022. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it