Cardiovascular MRI Feature-Tracking Strain Rate for Assessment of Diastolic Function.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Cardiac MRI
• Diastology

Background:

• Diastolic dysfunction is a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease.
• Accurate assessment of diastolic function is crucial for patient management.
• Cardiac MRI feature tracking (FT) offers advanced capabilities for evaluating myocardial mechanics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare left ventricular (LV) peak early diastolic strain rate (PEDSR) and peak late diastolic strain rate (PLDSR) using cardiac MRI FT.
• To analyze these strain rates across a spectrum of diastolic dysfunction.
• To determine the association between diastolic strain rates and cardiac remodeling.

Main Methods:

• Prospective recruitment of participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, severe aortic stenosis, and asymptomatic controls.
• Cardiac MRI and echocardiography performed for diastolic dysfunction classification and strain rate measurements.
• Linear regression used to assess associations between LV diastolic strain rates and cardiac remodeling.

Main Results:

• A total of 600 participants were included, with varying grades of diastolic dysfunction.
• PEDSR decreased with increasing diastolic dysfunction severity.
• PLDSR initially increased in grade 1 dysfunction but progressively declined with worsening dysfunction, showing inverse associations with cardiac remodeling.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac MRI FT demonstrates a characteristic pattern of early and late diastolic strain rates across the spectrum of diastolic dysfunction.
• These findings highlight the utility of cardiac MRI FT in quantifying diastolic function and its relationship with cardiac remodeling.