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Silent cerebral infarction in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy: echocardiographic correlates

Guliz Kozdag1, Ercument Ciftci, Ahmet Vural

  • 1Kocaeli University Medical Faculty, Cardiology, Kocaeli, Turkey. gkozdag@superonline.com

International Journal of Cardiology
|May 26, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Silent cerebral infarction (SCI) is common in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients. Impaired heart function and aortic plaque are key risk factors for SCI in DCM.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients face a higher risk of thromboembolic events.
  • Silent cerebral infarction (SCI) incidence remains uninvestigated in DCM.
  • This study aimed to assess SCI prevalence and its echocardiographic correlates in DCM.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of silent cerebral infarction (SCI) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
  • To identify associations between SCI and echocardiographic parameters in DCM patients.

Main Methods:

  • Cranial magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 72 DCM patients and 56 healthy controls.
  • Echocardiographic examinations (transthoracic and transesophageal) were conducted.
  • Logistic regression analysis identified independent risk factors for SCI.

Main Results:

  • SCI prevalence was significantly higher in DCM patients (35%) compared to controls (3.6%).
  • DCM patients with SCI exhibited impaired left ventricular systolic function, restrictive diastolic filling, and left atrial/aortic spontaneous echo contrast (SEC).
  • Restrictive diastolic filling was the sole independent predictor of SCI; other factors included ejection fraction, left atrial SEC, aortic atheroma, and age.

Conclusions:

  • Silent cerebral infarction (SCI) is a frequent finding in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
  • Key contributing factors to SCI development include impaired systolic function, restrictive filling patterns, moderate to severe left atrial SEC, and complex aortic atherosclerosis.
Abstract

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