Proposed diagnostic criteria for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: European Task Force consensus report
Domenico Corrado1, Aris Anastasakis2, Cristina Basso1
1Department of Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua Medical School, Italy.
Insights
New diagnostic criteria improve the identification of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), a heart muscle disease involving myocardial scarring. These updated guidelines enhance the detection of both right and left-sided variants for better patient management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Genetics
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a myocardial disease defined by "non-ischemic" scarring, leading to electrical instability.
- Previous diagnostic criteria (1994, 2010) accurately diagnosed arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) but lacked sensitivity for left-sided variants (ALVC, ABVC).
- Under-recognition of ACM, particularly left-sided forms, has persisted due to the absence of specific diagnostic criteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To refine and upgrade existing diagnostic criteria for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM).
- To incorporate advanced imaging techniques, specifically cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), for comprehensive disease characterization.
- To establish internationally recognized criteria for improved diagnosis and management of all ACM phenotypes.
Main Methods:
- Development of refined diagnostic criteria by a European expert Task Force, building upon the 2020 Padua criteria.
- Integration of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) findings, including the "ring-like" pattern of LGE/scar, for characterizing myocardial tissue.
- Inclusion of electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities related to left ventricular (LV) depolarization/repolarization and LV-originating arrhythmias.
Main Results:
- The proposed criteria enhance the diagnosis of ACM across its spectrum, including right, biventricular, and left variants.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is crucial for identifying myocardial scar, with a "ring-like" pattern being a hallmark of ALVC.
- New criteria address LV depolarization/repolarization abnormalities and ventricular arrhythmias, improving diagnostic accuracy.
Conclusions:
- The upgraded diagnostic criteria provide a robust framework for identifying and managing arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM).
- Enhanced diagnostic sensitivity, particularly for left-sided ACM variants, is achieved through the integration of CMR and ECG findings.
- These criteria aim to improve clinical recognition and patient outcomes for individuals with ACM.
Abstract:
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a heart muscle disease characterized by prominent "non-ischemic" myocardial scarring predisposing to ventricular electrical instability. Diagnostic criteria for the original phenotype, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), were first proposed in 1994 and revised in 2010 by an international Task Force (TF). A 2019 International Expert report appraised these previous criteria, finding good accuracy for diagnosis of ARVC but a lack of sensitivity for identification of the expanding phenotypic disease spectrum, which includes left-sided variants, i.e., biventricular (ABVC) and arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy (ALVC). The ARVC phenotype together with these left-sided variants are now more appropriately named ACM. The lack of diagnostic criteria for the left ventricular (LV) phenotype has resulted in clinical under-recognition of ACM patients over the 4 decades since the disease discovery. In 2020, the "Padua criteria" were proposed for both right- and left-sided ACM phenotypes. The presently proposed criteria represent a refinement of the 2020 Padua criteria and have been developed by an expert European TF to improve the diagnosis of ACM with upgraded and internationally recognized criteria. The growing recognition of the diagnostic role of CMR has led to the incorporation of myocardial tissue characterization findings for detection of myocardial scar using the late‑gadolinium enhancement (LGE) technique to more fully characterize right, biventricular and left disease variants, whether genetic or acquired (phenocopies), and to exclude other "non-scarring" myocardial disease. The "ring-like' pattern of myocardial LGE/scar is now a recognized diagnostic hallmark of ALVC. Additional diagnostic criteria regarding LV depolarization and repolarization ECG abnormalities and ventricular arrhythmias of LV origin are also provided. These proposed upgrading of diagnostic criteria represents a working framework to improve management of ACM patients.
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