Cardiac magnetic resonance identifies raised left ventricular filling pressure: prognostic implications

Eur Heart J. 2022 Jul 7;43(26):2511-2522. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac207.

Abstract

Aims: Non-invasive imaging is routinely used to estimate left ventricular (LV) filling pressure (LVFP) in heart failure (HF). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is emerging as an important imaging tool for sub-phenotyping HF. However, currently, LVFP cannot be estimated from CMR. This study sought to investigate (i) if CMR can estimate LVFP in patients with suspected HF and (ii) if CMR-modelled LVFP has prognostic power.

Methods and results: Suspected HF patients underwent right heart catheterization (RHC), CMR and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) (validation cohort only) within 24 h of each other. Right heart catheterization measured pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) was used as a reference for LVFP. At follow-up, death was considered as the primary endpoint. We enrolled 835 patients (mean age: 65 ± 13 years, 40% male). In the derivation cohort (n = 708, 85%), two CMR metrics were associated with RHC PCWP:LV mass and left atrial volume. When applied to the validation cohort (n = 127, 15%), the correlation coefficient between RHC PCWP and CMR-modelled PCWP was 0.55 (95% confidence interval: 0.41-0.66, P < 0.0001). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance-modelled PCWP was superior to TTE in classifying patients as normal or raised filling pressures (76 vs. 25%). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance-modelled PCWP was associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio: 1.77, P < 0.001). At Kaplan-Meier analysis, CMR-modelled PCWP was comparable to RHC PCWP (≥15 mmHg) to predict survival at 7-year follow-up (35 vs. 37%, χ2 = 0.41, P = 0.52).

Conclusion: A physiological CMR model can estimate LVFP in patients with suspected HF. In addition, CMR-modelled LVFP has a prognostic role.

Keywords: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance; Left ventricular filling pressure; Right heart catheterization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Cardiac Catheterization* / methods
  • Female
  • Heart Failure*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prognosis
  • Pulmonary Wedge Pressure / physiology
  • Stroke Volume / physiology
  • Ventricular Function, Left