Toward clinical risk assessment inhypertrophic cardiomyopathy withgadolinium cardiovascular magnetic resonance

AbstractObjectivesWe sought to assess whether hyperenhancement by gadolinium cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) occurs in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and correlates with the risk of heart failure and sudden death.BackgroundThe myocardial interstitium is abnormal in HCM at post-mortem. Focally increased interstitial myocardial space appears as hyperenhancement with gadolinium CMR.MethodsIn a blinded, prospective study, HCM patients were selected for the presence (n = 23) or absence (n = 30) of an increased clinical risk of sudden death and/or progressive adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Gadolinium-enhanced CMR was performed.ResultsMyocardial hyperenhancement was found in 42 patients (79%), affecting 10.9% (range 0% to 48%) of the LV mass. There was a greater extent of hyperenhancement in patients with progressive disease (28.5% vs. 8.7%, p < 0.001) and in patients with two or more risk factors for sudden death (15.7% vs. 8.6%, p = 0.02). Improved discrimination was seen in patients >40 years old (29.6% vs. 6.7%, p < 0.001) for progressive disease and for patients