Diastolic dysfunction evaluation by cardiovascular magnetic resonance derived E, a, e': Comparison to...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Tools

Background:

• Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the primary imaging method for assessing diastolic dysfunction (DD).
• The role of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) in evaluating DD remains under-investigated.
• Diastolic dysfunction affects the heart's ability to relax and fill, impacting overall cardiac function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the diagnostic utility of CMR for evaluating diastolic dysfunction.
• To compare CMR-derived diastolic function parameters with those obtained from TTE.
• To determine the accuracy of CMR in diagnosing and grading DD.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 31 patients with recent TTE and 12 healthy controls.
• CMR imaging at 1.5T to quantify mitral inflow velocities (E, A), mitral annular velocities (e'), and left atrial volume index (LAVi).
• Comparison of CMR measurements with TTE using regression analysis and assessment of diagnostic accuracy for DD.

Main Results:

• CMR-derived parameters (E, A, E/A, e', E/e', LAVi) showed moderate to strong correlations with TTE findings.
• Higher correlations were observed for studies performed closer in time, particularly for E/A (r=0.82) and LAVi (r=0.79).
• CMR demonstrated 82% agreement with TTE for DD presence (100% sensitivity, 75% specificity) and 71% agreement for DD grade.

Conclusions:

• Cardiovascular magnetic resonance is a viable tool for assessing diastolic function.
• CMR exhibits strong agreement with transthoracic echocardiography in the evaluation of diastolic dysfunction.
• CMR offers a valuable alternative or complementary imaging modality for DD assessment.