Myocardial Elasticity Imaging Correlates with Histopathology in a Model of Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity

There is considerable focus on developing strategies for identifying subclinical cardiac decline prior to cardiac failure. Myocardial tissue elasticity changes may precede irreversible cardiac damage, providing promise for an early biomarker for cardiac decline. Biomarker strategies are of particular interest in cardio-oncology due to cardiotoxic effects of anti-neoplastic therapies, particularly anthracycline-based chemotherapeutics. Current clinical methods for diagnosing cardiotoxicity are too coarse to identify cardiac decline early enough for meaningful therapeutic intervention, or too cumbersome for clinical implementation.

Utilizing changes in myocardial elasticity as a biomarker for subclinical cardiac decline, we developed a biomechanical model-based elasticity imaging methodology (BEIM) to estimate spatial maps of left ventricle (LV) myocardial elasticity. In this study, we employ this methodology to assess changes in LV elasticity in a non-human primate model of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging of five African Green monkeys was acquired at baseline prior to doxorubicin administration, 6-weeks, and 15-weeks after final doxorubicin dose and histopathological samples of the LV were taken at 15-weeks after final doxorubicin dose. Spatial elasticity maps of the mid-short axis plane of the LV were estimated at each image acquisition. Global and regional LV elasticity were calculated and changes between imaging time points was assessed. LV elasticity at baseline and final time point were compared to cardiomyocyte size and collagen volume fraction measurements calculated from histopathological staining of archived tissue bank samples and study endpoint tissue samples utilizing Pearson's correlation coefficients.

We identify significant changes in LV elasticity between each imaging time point both globally and regionally. We also demonstrate strong correlation between LV elasticity and cardiomyocyte size and collagen volume fraction measurements. Results indicate that LV elasticity estimates calculated using BEIM correlate with histopathological changes that occur due to doxorubicin administration, validating LV elasticity solutions and providing significant promise for use of BEIM to non-invasively elucidate cardiac injury.

This methodology can show progressive changes in LV elasticity and has potential to be a more sensitive indicator of elasticity changes than current clinical measures of cardiotoxicity. LV elasticity may provide a valuable biomarker for cardiotoxic effects of anthracycline-based chemotherapeutics and cardiac disease detection.