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Updated: Dec 14, 2025
Quantification of Mouse Heart Left Ventricular Function, Myocardial Strain, and Hemodynamic Forces by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: May 24, 2021
Assessment of diastolic dysfunction: comparison of different cardiovascular magnetic resonance techniques
Josephine Kermer1, Julius Traber1, Wolfgang Utz1
1Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Lindenberger Weg 80, Berlin, 13125, Germany.
Insights
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) using left atrial size and myocardial deformation effectively identifies patients with diastolic dysfunction (DD). These advanced imaging techniques improve the diagnosis of this challenging heart condition.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Cardiac MRI
- Diastolic Dysfunction
Background:
- Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) presents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.
- Accurate non-invasive diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD) remains difficult.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the most informative cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters for assessing LV diastolic dysfunction (LVDD).
- To evaluate the utility of CMR in differentiating patients with and without DD.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 50 patients classified into DD+, DD-, and DD± groups.
- Diagnosis of DD based on echocardiography, invasive pressure, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide.
- CMR assessed LV/LA morphology, LV diastolic strain rate (SR) via tissue tracking/tagging, myocardial velocities (tissue phase mapping), and transmitral inflow (phase contrast).
Main Results:
- Enlarged left atrial (LA) size, specifically LA end-diastolic volume/height (≥0.52 mL/cm), best identified DD+ (AUC=0.75).
- Reduced regional radial and circumferential diastolic strain rate in the basal lateral wall by tissue tracking was observed in DD+ patients.
- Reduced global longitudinal SR by tagging and lower peak myocardial velocities by tissue phase mapping were found in DD+.
Conclusions:
- Left atrial size and regional quantitative myocardial deformation assessed by CMR are highly effective in identifying patients with diastolic dysfunction.
- CMR parameters offer a promising non-invasive approach for diagnosing LVDD, aiding in the management of HFpEF.
Aims:
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is still a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, and accurate non-invasive diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD) remains difficult. The current study aimed at identifying the most informative cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters for the assessment of LVDD.
Methods And Results:
We prospectively included 50 patients and classified them into three groups: with DD (DD+, n = 15), without (DD-, n = 26), and uncertain (DD±, n = 9). Diagnosis of DD was based on echocardiographic E/E', invasive LV end-diastolic pressure, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. CMR was performed at 1.5 T to assess LV and left atrial (LA) morphology, LV diastolic strain rate (SR) by tissue tracking and tagging, myocardial peak velocities by tissue phase mapping, and transmitral inflow profile using phase contrast techniques. Statistics were performed only on definitive DD+ and DD- (total number 41). DD+ showed enlarged LA with LA end-diastolic volume/height performing best to identify DD+ with a cut-off value of ≥0.52 mL/cm (sensitivity = 0.71, specificity = 0.84, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.75). DD+ showed significantly reduced radial (inferolateral E peak: DD-: -14.5 ± 6.5%/s vs. DD+: -10.9 ± 5.9%/s, P = 0.04; anterolateral A peak: DD-: -4.2 ± 1.6%/s vs. DD+: -3.1 ± 1.4%/s, P = 0.04) and circumferential (inferolateral A peak: DD-: 3.8 ± 1.2%/s vs. DD+: 2.8 ± 0.8%/s, P = 0.007; anterolateral A peak: DD-: 3.5 ± 1.2%/s vs. DD+: 2.5 ± 0.8%/s, P = 0.048) SR in the basal lateral wall assessed by tissue tracking. In the same segments, DD+ showed lower peak myocardial velocity by tissue phase mapping (inferolateral radial peak: DD-: -3.6 ± 0.7 ms vs. DD+: -2.8 ± 1.0 ms, P = 0.017; anterolateral longitudinal peak: DD-: -5.0 ± 1.8 ms vs. DD+: -3.4 ± 1.4 ms, P = 0.006). Tagging revealed reduced global longitudinal SR in DD+ (DD-: 45.8 ± 12.0%/s vs. DD+: 34.8 ± 9.2%/s, P = 0.022). Global circumferential and radial SR by tissue tracking and tagging, LV morphology, and transmitral flow did not differ between DD+ and DD-.
Conclusions:
Left atrial size and regional quantitative myocardial deformation applying CMR identified best patients with DD.
