Visual estimation of the extent of myocardial hyperenhancement on late gadolinium-enhanced CMR in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Doesch, Christina; Huck, Sonia; Böhm, Christoph K.; Michaely, Henrik; Fluechter, Stephan; Haghi, Dariusch; Dinter, Dietmar; Borggrefe, Martin; Papavassiliu, Theano

doi:10.1016/j.mri.2010.03.034

« Previous Next »Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Volume 28, Issue 6 , Pages 812-819, July 2010

Visual estimation of the extent of myocardial hyperenhancement on late gadolinium-enhanced CMR in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy☆

Christina Doesch
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 621 383 2512; fax: +49 621 383 2012.
Sonia Huck
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Christoph K. Böhm
- Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim Germany
Henrik Michaely
- Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim Germany
Stephan Fluechter
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Dariusch Haghi
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Dietmar Dinter
- Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim Germany
Martin Borggrefe
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Theano Papavassiliu
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany

Received 28 November 2009; received in revised form 15 February 2010; accepted 5 March 2010. published online 22 April 2010.

Abstract

Aim

So far different approaches have been used to quantify late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but there is no general consensus on the gold standard, since histological data are scarce. The aim of our study was to investigate whether the determination of LGE in patients with HCM using a semiquantitative score based on the 17-segment model is feasible and has comparable accuracy to manual planimetry.

Methods

Forty-two patients with HCM underwent LGE cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Determination of LGE by planimetry based on visual assessment was used as reference standard. Then the extent of LGE was assessed using a semiquantitative score based on the standard left ventricular 17-segment model. Each segment was scored for the distribution of LGE. The resulting summed score expressed as percentage of the maximum possible score was thereafter compared with the manual planimetric evaluation of LGE, expressed as a percentage of the left ventricular myocardial area.

Results

In 28 patients (66%), LGE was present. There was a good correlation between the semiquantitative score and the planimetric approach (r=0.89; y=0.819x+2.45; standard error of estimation=2.327; P<.0001). Additionally, the Bland–Altmann plot showed a high concordance between the two approaches (mean of the difference +1.7%). The inter- and intraobserver limits of agreement and the coefficients of repeatability based on measurements with the semiquantitative score of the extent of LGE were superior to planimetric measurements. Besides, the time requirement for the LGE determination using the semiquantitative score was found to be significantly reduced compared to manual planimetry (median 2 vs. 10 min).

Conclusions

Thus, a reliable global index of the size of the LGE is feasible and can easily be obtained from visual assessment with a semiquantitative score of the extent of the hyperenhancement.

Keywords: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Cardiovascular magnetic resonance, Planimetry, semiquantitative score