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Comprehensive Echocardiographic Assessment of Right Ventricle Function in a Rat Model of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Published on: January 20, 2023
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Semi-automatic thresholding of RV trabeculation improves repeatability and diagnostic value in suspected pulmonary
Alistair Macdonald1,2, Mahan Salehi1,2, Samer Alabed1,2,3
1Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
|January 23, 2023
Summary
Including RV trabeculation in cardiac MRI measurements improves diagnostic accuracy for pulmonary hypertension. This method is more reproducible and faster than excluding trabeculation, aiding in diagnosing pulmonary hypertension (PH).
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Pulmonary Hypertension Research
Background:
- Right ventricle (RV) mass on cardiac MRI (CMR) is a biomarker for pulmonary artery pressure and vascular resistance.
- Current RV mass measurement methods sometimes exclude RV trabeculation, potentially impacting diagnostic accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the reproducibility of RV mass measurement techniques.
- To evaluate if including RV trabeculation improves diagnostic accuracy for pulmonary hypertension (PH).
Main Methods:
- Two patient cohorts underwent CMR and right heart catheterization (RHC).
- Total RV mass (including trabeculation) and compacted RV mass (excluding trabeculation) were measured using semi-automated and manual methods.
- Reproducibility and interobserver agreement were assessed.
Main Results:
- Total RV mass showed stronger correlations with mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) than compacted RV mass.
- RV mass indexed for LV mass demonstrated superior diagnostic performance (AUC 0.77-0.81) for PH when trabeculation was included.
- Semi-automated thresholding was significantly faster than manual contouring.
Conclusions:
- Including RV trabecular mass in CMR measurements, indexed to LV mass, enhances diagnostic accuracy for suspected PH.
- Semi-automated thresholding offers a reproducible and efficient method for RV mass assessment.
