Right Ventricular Function in Takayasu's Arteritis Patients With Pulmonary Artery Involvement Using MRI Feature...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Radiology
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Pulmonary artery involvement (PAI) is a known complication of Takayasu arteritis (TA).
• Elevated pulmonary arterial pressure in TA-PAI can lead to pulmonary hypertension and cardiac death.
• Early detection of right ventricular dysfunction is crucial for managing TA-PAI patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of right ventricular global peak longitudinal strain (RVGLS) and circumferential strain (RVGCS) in identifying right ventricular myocardial damage.
• To evaluate these strain parameters in Takayasu arteritis with pulmonary artery involvement (TA-PAI) patients who do not yet have pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study involving 106 TA patients (54 with PAI, 36 without PH) and 58 healthy volunteers (HVs).
• Cardiac MRI with cine imaging was used to assess RVGLS and RVGCS.
• Statistical analyses included t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation analyses.

Main Results:

• TA-PAI patients without PH showed significantly lower RVGLS and higher RVGCS compared to HVs, despite similar right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF).
• TA-PAI patients with PH exhibited significantly worse RVGLS and RVGCS compared to those without PH.
• Cardiac MRI-derived strain parameters revealed subclinical right ventricular dysfunction in TA-PAI patients without PH.

Conclusions:

• Right ventricular dysfunction is present in TA-PAI patients even before the development of pulmonary hypertension.
• Cardiac MRI-derived feature tracking is an effective tool for the early detection of cardiac damage in TA-PAI patients.
• This imaging technique can aid in the early management of TA-PAI to prevent further cardiac complications.