Assessing diastolic function using CMR as an alternative to echocardiography: age- and gender-related normal...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Physiology

Background:

• Impaired diastolic function is linked to various heart conditions like myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy.
• Echocardiography is the current standard for diastolic function assessment.
• Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is emerging as a potentially superior alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish age- and gender-dependent normal reference values for diastolic function using CMR.
• To evaluate pulmonary venous (PV) and transmitral (MV) blood-flow parameters with CMR.
• To compare CMR-derived parameters with echocardiography findings.

Main Methods:

• Flow-sensitive phase-contrast CMR imaging was performed on 183 healthy individuals aged 10-70 years.
• Measurements included right upper pulmonary vein (RUPV) and mitral valve (MV) blood flow.
• Data analysis involved Pearson and Spearman correlations to assess age and gender dependencies and CMR-echocardiography agreement.

Main Results:

• Significant age-dependence was observed for PV S/D (r=0.718) and MV E/A (ρ=-0.736) ratios.
• Moderate age-dependence was noted for PV slope D-wave (r=0.394).
• CMR and echocardiography showed strong correlations for PV S/D (r=0.545) and MV E/A (ρ=0.692).

Conclusions:

• Diastolic functional parameters assessed by CMR exhibit significant age-related changes.
• Gender differences in these parameters are minimal, with a slight exception for MV slope E-wave.
• CMR is a viable and promising alternative to echocardiography for assessing diastolic function, demonstrating strong agreement in key parameters.