Myocardial scarring by delayed enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance in thalassaemia major

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
06:29

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques

Published on: June 11, 2019

A Pepe1, V Positano, M Capra

  • 1MRI Laboratory, Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, and Gabriele Monasterio Foundation, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy. alessia.pepe@ifc.cnr.it

Heart (British Cardiac Society)
|June 4, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Myocardial fibrosis is present in 24% of thalassaemia major patients, increasing with age. Electrocardiogram (ECG) changes accurately predict this scarring, highlighting its link to cardiac complications.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Radiology
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with delayed enhancement (DE) visualizes myocardial scarring.
  • No prior studies specifically investigated DE CMR in thalassaemia major patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and extent of myocardial fibrosis/necrosis using DE CMR in thalassaemia major.
  • To identify clinical and instrumental factors associated with myocardial scarring in this population.

Main Methods:

  • 115 thalassaemia major patients underwent DE CMR for scarring quantification.
  • Myocardial iron overload was assessed using T2* imaging.
  • Biventricular function was evaluated via cine imaging.

Main Results:

  • 24% of patients (28/115) showed DE, indicating myocardial scarring.
  • Scarring extent averaged 3.9%.
  • DE was more prevalent in older patients and correlated significantly with ECG abnormalities, but not with iron levels or biventricular function.

Conclusions:

  • Myocardial fibrosis/necrosis is a significant, age-dependent finding in thalassaemia major.
  • ECG changes are accurate predictors of myocardial scarring.
  • This scarring correlates with cardiovascular risk factors and complications.
Abstract

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