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ObjectivesThis study aims to assess the attenuation of pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) surrounding the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) and undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). RCA PCAT attenuation is a novel computed tomography (CT)–based marker for evaluating coronary inflammation. Coronary artery disease (CAD) in TAVR patients is common and usually evaluated prior to intervention. The most sensible screening method and consequential treatment approach are unclear and remain a matter of ceaseless discussion. Thus, interest remains for safe and low-demand predictive markers to identify patients at risk for adverse outcomes postaortic valve replacement.MethodsThis single-center retrospective study included patients receiving a standard planning CT scan prior to TAVR. Conventional CAD diagnostic tools, such as coronary artery calcium score and significant stenosis via invasive coronary angiography and coronary computed tomography angiography, were determined in addition to RCA PCAT attenuation using semiautomated software. These were assessed for their relationship with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during a 24-month follow-up period.ResultsFrom a total of 62 patients (mean age: 82 ± 6.7 years), 15 (24.2%) patients experienced an event within the observation period, 10 of which were attributed to cardiovascular death. The mean RCA PCAT attenuation was higher in patients enduring MACE than that in those without an endpoint (−69.8 ± 7.5 vs. −74.6 ± 6.2, P = 0.02). Using a predefined cutoff of >−70.5 HU, 20 patients (32.3%) with high RCA PCAT attenuation were identified, nine (45%) of which met the endpoint within 2 years after TAVR. In a multivariate Cox regression model including conventional CAD diagnostic tools, RCA PCAT attenuation prevailed as the only marker with significant association with MACE (P = 0.02). After dichotomization of patients into high- and low-RCA PCAT attenuation groups, high attenuation was related to greater risk of MACE (hazard ration: 3.82, P = 0.011).ConclusionRCA PCAT attenuation appears to have predictive value also in a setting of concomitant AS in patients receiving TAVR. RCA PCAT attenuation was more reliable than conventional CAD diagnostic tools in identifying patients at risk for MACE .

Cardiac imaging is an ever-evolving area, with imaging parameters and application in constant re-evaluation. This was reflected in many imaging debates and by the increased number of scientific contributions at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in 2022. While clinical trials tried to answer clinical questions related to the performance of different imaging modalities, many high-quality presentations focused on new imaging biomarkers in different scenarios, such as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, valvular heart disease or long COVID. This highlights the need for the translation of cardiac imaging technology from research interests towards established measures of clinical practice.

Background The role of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the early management of chronic cardiac inflammatory conditions is growing. Our case enlightens the benefit of quantitative mapping in the monitoring and treatment guidance in systemic sarcoidosis. Case presentation We report about a 29-year-old man with an ongoing dyspnea and bihilar lymphadenopathy, suggesting sarcoidosis. Cardiac magnetic resonance showed high mapping values, but no scarring. In follow-ups, cardiac remodeling was noted; cardioprotective treatment normalized cardiac function and mapping markers. Definitive diagnosis was achieved in extracardiac lymphatic tissue during a relapse. Conclusion This case shows the role that mapping markers can play in the detection and treatment at early stage of systemic sarcoidosis.

Aimsmyocardial oedema is largely represented in takotsubo syndrome (TTS) and may contribute to alter the myocardium morphology and function. The aim of the study is to describe relationships between oedema, mechanical, and electrical abnormalities in TTSMethods and resultsthe study included n = 32 hospitalized TTS patients and n = 23 controls. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with tissue mapping and feature tracking was performed with concomitant 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. Mean age of TTS was 72 ± 12 years old, 94% women. Compared with controls, patients had higher left ventricular (LV) mass, worse systolic function, higher septal native T1 (1116 ± 73 msec vs. 970 ± 23 msec, P < 0.001), T2 (56 ± 5 msec vs. 46 ± 2 msec, P < 0.001), and extracellular volume (ECV) fraction (32 ± 5% vs. 24 ± 1%, P < 0.001). TTS patients had higher apicobasal gradient of T2 values (12 ± 6 msec vs. 2 ± 6 msec, P < 0.001); basal LV wall displayed higher native T1, T2, and ECV (all P < 0.002) but similar circumferential strain against controls (−23 ± 3% vs. −24 ± 4%, P = 0.351). In the TTS cohort, septal T2 values showed significant correlations with native T1 (r = 0.609, P < 0.001), ECV (r = 0.689, P < 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction (r = −0.459, P = 0.008) and aVR voltage (r = −0.478, P = 0.009). Negative T-wave voltage and QTc length correlated with apicobasal T2 mapping gradient (r = 0.499, P = 0.007 and r = 0.372, P = 0.047, respectively) but not with other tissue mapping measurements.ConclusionsCMR T1 and T2 mapping demonstrated increased myocardial water content conditioning interstitial expansion in acute TTS, detected even outside areas of abnormal wall motion. Oedema burden and distribution associated with mechanical and electrocardiographic changes, making it a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target in TTS.

BackgroundNative T1 has become a pivotal parameter of tissue composition that is assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). It characterizes diseased myocardium and can be used for prognosis estimation. Recent publications have shown that native T1 is influenced by short-term fluctuations of volume status due to hydration or hemodialysis.MethodsPatients from a prospective BioCVI all-comers clinical CMR registry were included, and native T1 and plasma volume status (PVS) were determined according to Hakim’s formula as surrogate markers of patient volume status. The primary endpoint was defined as combined endpoint of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure events, the secondary endpoint was defined as all-cause mortality.ResultsA total of 2,047 patients were included since April 2017 [median (IQR); age 63 (52–72) years, 33% female]. There was a significant although weak influence of PVS on native T1 (β = 0.11, p −13%) showed significantly higher values for tissue markers than non-volume-overloaded patients [PVS ≤ −13%; median (IQR); native T1 1,130 (1,095–1,170) vs. 1,123 (1,086–1,166) ms, p p ConclusionDespite a weak effect of PVS on native T1, its predictive power was not affected in a large, all-comers cohort.

Hematopoietic mutations in epigenetic regulators like DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (DNMT3A) drive clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and are associated with adverse prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). The interactions between CHIP-mutated cells and other cardiac cell types remain unknown.Here, we identify fibroblasts as potential interaction partners of CHIP-mutated monocytes using combined transcriptomic data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HF patients with and without CHIP and the cardiac tissue. We demonstrate that CHIP augments macrophage-to-cardiac fibroblasts interactions. Mechanistically, the secretome ofDNMT3A-silenced monocytes leads to myofibroblast activation, partially through epidermal growth factor (EGFR) signaling. Harboring DNMT3A CHIP-driver mutations is associated with increased cardiac interstitial fibrosis in mice and patients, and, thereby, may contribute to the poor outcome.These findings not only identify a novel pathway of DNMT3A CHIP-driver mutation-induced instigation and progression of HF, but may also provide a rationale for the development of new anti-fibrotic strategies.Graphical abstract

D-dimer testing is known to have a high sensitivity at simultaneously low specificity, resulting in nonspecific elevations in a variety of conditions.This retrospective study sought to assess diagnostic and prognostic features of D-dimers in cancer patients referred to the emergency department for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In total, 526 patients with a final adjudicated diagnosis of PE (n = 83) and DVT (n = 69) were enrolled, whereas 374 patients served as the comparative group, in which venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been excluded.For the identification of VTE, D-dimers yielded the highest positive predictive value of 96% (95% confidence interval (CI), 85-99) at concentrations of 9.9 mg/L and a negative predictive value of 100% at .6 mg/L (95% CI, 97-100). At the established rule-out cut-off level of .5 mg/L, D-dimers were found to be very sensitive (100%) at a moderate specificity of nearly 65%. Using an optimised cut-off value of 4.9 mg/L increased the specificity to 95% for the detection of life-threatening VTE at the cost of moderate sensitivities (64%). During a median follow-up of 30 months, D-dimers positively correlated with the reoccurrence of VTE (p = .0299) and mortality in both cancer patients with VTE (p .0001) and without VTE (p = .0008).Although D-dimer testing in cancer patients is discouraged by current guidelines, very high concentrations above the 10-fold upper reference limit contain diagnostic and prognostic information and might be helpful in risk assessment, while low concentrations remain useful for ruling out VTE.

Aim To assess the prevalence and prognostic significance of NI-LGE in patients undergoing stress-CMR. Methods Stress-CMR with either dipyridamole or adenosine was performed in 283 patients (228 men, 81%) including perfusion imaging, wall motion evaluation and LGE. Follow-up was completed in all enrolled patients (median time: 1850 days; interquartile range: 1225-2705 days). Composite endpoint included cardiac death, ventricular tachycardia, myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for cardiac cause and coronary revascularization performed beyond 90 days from stress-CMR scans. Results One hundred and twelve patients (40%) had negative LGE (no-LGE), 140 patients (49%) I-LGE and 31 patients (11%) NI-LGE. Twenty-five events occurred in the no-LGE group, 68 in I-LGE and 11 in the NI-LGE group. On survival curves, patients with NI-LGE had worse prognosis than patients with no-LGE regardless of the presence of inducible perfusion defects. No significant prognostic differences were found between I-LGE and NI-LGE. Conclusion NI-LGE can be detected in 11% of patients during stress-CMR providing a diagnosis of nonischemic cardiac disease. Patients with NI-LGE have worse prognosis than those with no-LGE.

The goal of this study was to examine prognostic relationships between cardiac imaging measures and cardiovascular outcome in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).PLWH have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and heart failure (HF) compared with the noninfected population. The pathophysiological drivers of myocardial dysfunction and worse cardiovascular outcome in HIV remain poorly understood.This prospective observational longitudinal study included consecutive PLWH on long-term HAART undergoing cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) examination for assessment of myocardial volumes and function, T1 and T2 mapping, perfusion, and scar. Time-to-event analysis was performed from the index CMR examination to the first single event per patient. The primary endpoint was an adjudicated adverse cardiovascular event (cardiovascular mortality, nonfatal acute coronary syndrome, an appropriate device discharge, or a documented HF hospitalization).A total of 156 participants (62% male; age [median, interquartile range]: 50 years [42 to 57 years]) were included. During a median follow-up of 13 months (9 to 19 months), 24 events were observed (4 HF deaths, 1 sudden cardiac death, 2 nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, 1 appropriate device discharge, and 16 HF hospitalizations). Patients with events had higher native T1 (median [interquartile range]: 1,149 ms [1,115 to 1,163 ms] vs. 1,110 ms [1,075 to 1,138 ms]); native T2 (40 ms [38 to 41 ms] vs. 37 ms [36 to 39 ms]); left ventricular (LV) mass index (65 g/mOur findings reveal important prognostic associations of diffuse myocardial fibrosis and LV remodeling in PLWH. These results may support development of personalized approaches to screening and early intervention to reduce the burden of HF in PLWH (International T1 Multicenter Outcome Study; NCT03749343).

Uremic cardiomyopathy (UC), the peculiar cardiac remodeling secondary to the systemic effects of renal dysfunction, is characterized by left ventricular (LV) diffuse fibrosis with hypertrophy (LVH) and stiffness and the development of heart failure and increased rates of cardiovascular mortality. Several imaging modalities can be used to obtain a non-invasive assessment of UC by different imaging biomarkers, which is the focus of the present review. Echocardiography has been largely employed in recent decades, especially for the determination of LVH by 2-dimensional imaging and diastolic dysfunction by pulsed-wave and tissue Doppler, where it retains a robust prognostic value; more recent techniques include parametric assessment of cardiac deformation by speckle tracking echocardiography and the use of 3D-imaging. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging allows a more accurate assessment of cardiac dimensions, including the right heart, and deformation by feature-tracking imaging; however, the most evident added value of CMR remains tissue characterization. T1 mapping demonstrated diffuse fibrosis in CKD patients, increasing with the worsening of renal disease and evident even in early stages of the disease, with few, but emerging, prognostic data. Some studies using T2 mapping highlighted the presence of subtle, diffuse myocardial edema. Finally, computed tomography, though rarely used to specifically assess UC, might provide incidental findings carrying prognostic relevance, including information on cardiac and vascular calcification. In summary, non-invasive cardiovascular imaging provides a wealth of imaging biomarkers for the characterization and risk-stratification of UC; integrating results from different imaging techniques can aid a better understanding of the physiopathology of UC and improve the clinical management of patients with CKD.

Background: Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is the gold standard method for surveillance of acute cardiac allograft rejection (ACAR) despite its invasive nature. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)–based myocardial tissue characterization allows detection of myocarditis. The feasibility of CMR-based surveillance for ACAR-induced myocarditis in the first year after heart transplantation is currently undescribed. Methods: CMR-based multiparametric mapping was initially assessed in a prospective cross-sectional fashion to establish agreement between CMR- and EMB-based ACAR and to determine CMR cutoff values between rejection grades. A prospective randomized noninferiority pilot study was then undertaken in adult orthotopic heart transplant recipients who were randomized at 4 weeks after orthotopic heart transplantation to either CMR- or EMB-based rejection surveillance. Clinical end points were assessed at 52 weeks. Results: Four hundred one CMR studies and 354 EMB procedures were performed in 106 participants. Forty heart transplant recipients were randomized. CMR-based multiparametric assessment was highly reproducible and reliable at detecting ACAR (area under the curve, 0.92; sensitivity, 93%; specificity, 92%; negative predictive value, 99%) with greater specificity and negative predictive value than either T1 or T2 parametric CMR mapping alone. High-grade rejection occurred in similar numbers of patients in each randomized group (CMR, n=7; EMB, n=8; P =0.74). Despite similarities in immunosuppression requirements, kidney function, and mortality between groups, the rates of hospitalization (9 of 20 [45%] versus 18 of 20 [90%]; odds ratio, 0.091; P =0.006) and infection (7 of 20 [35%] versus 14 of 20 [70%]; odds ratio, 0.192; P =0,019) were lower in the CMR group. On 15 occasions (6%), patients who were randomized to the CMR arm underwent EMB for clarification or logistic reasons, representing a 94% reduction in the requirement for EMB-based surveillance. Conclusions: A noninvasive CMR-based surveillance strategy for ACAR in the first year after orthotopic heart transplantation is feasible compared with EMB-based surveillance. Registration: HREC/13/SVH/66 and HREC/17/SVH/80. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12618000672257.

The aim of this study is to provide a systematic assessment of the influence of the position on the arterial input function (AIF) for perfusion quantification. In 39 patients with a wide range of left ventricular function the AIF was determined using a diluted contrast bolus of a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in three left ventricular levels (basal, mid, apex) as well as aortic sinus (AoS). Time to peak signal intensities, baseline corrected peak signal intensity and upslopes were determined and compared to those obtained in the AoS. The error induced by sampling the AIF in a position different to the AoS was determined by Fermi deconvolution. The time to peak signal intensity was strongly correlated (r2 > 0.9) for all positions with a systematic earlier arrival in the basal (− 2153 ± 818 ms), the mid (− 1429 ± 928 ms) and the apical slice (− 450 ± 739 ms) relative to the AoS (all p 2 > 0.9 for both) for all positions with a systematic overestimation in all positions relative to the AoS (all p

This review surveys the findings of the International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches (ISCHEMIA) trial and puts them into a clinical perspective regarding its effect of the role of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) as a well-validated gatekeeper for invasive angiography and myocardial revascularization. Noninvasive stress testing of patients with intermediate-to-high pretest likelihood for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) using perfusion CMR provides excellent diagnostic accuracy in detecting ischemic myocardium, and additional information from tissue characterization can guide the management of patients with stable angina toward a more individualized therapy as other non-coronary underlying causes of chest pain can be detected. Since ISCHEMIA failed to show that an invasive strategy using percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting was associated with an improved prognosis compared with initial conservative medical therapy among stable patients with moderate-to-severe ischemia, CMR as a multifaceted diagnostic imaging approach to explain patients' symptoms should be preferred over anatomical and stress testing alone. Nevertheless, the exclusion of left main coronary artery stenosis either by coronary CT or MR angiography may be required. In conclusion, the results of the ISCHEMIA trial are in good accordance with those of the MR-INFORM trial recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, as the noninvasive management of a large proportion of patients with CAD was shown to be noninferior to current invasive strategies. Recent outcome data from trials may therefore have an impact on future guidelines to further reduce the execution of unnecessary left heart catheterizations.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly reduced the risk of developing acquired immune deficiency syndrome and increased life expectancy, approaching that of the general population. However, people living with HIV have a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular diseases despite long-term viral suppression using ART. HIV-associated cardiovascular complications encompass a broad spectrum of diseases that involve the myocardium, pericardium, coronary arteries, valves, and systemic and pulmonary vasculature. Traditional risk stratification tools do not accurately predict cardiovascular risk in this population. Multimodality imaging plays an essential role in the evaluation of various HIV-related cardiovascular complications. Here, we emphasize the role of multimodality imaging in establishing the diagnosis and aetiopathogenesis of various cardiovascular manifestations related to chronic HIV disease. This review also provides a critical appraisal of contemporary data and illustrative cases.

The purpose of this study is to ascertain agreement in measurements of the scar area between late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), native and post-contrast T1 mapping in patients with known ischemic heart disease. 132 patients (age 60 ± 11 yrs, male 82%) were included in the study. Corresponding 3 short axis slices images of LGE, native and post contrast T1 mapping were used. Scar area was evaluated semi- quantitatively with FWHM methods, in which scar is automatically determined by specialized post-processing software. Agreement per culprit vessel was also assessed. Concordance and inter- intraobserver reproducibility were assessed with Bland-Altman analysis. The results show that scar area amounted to 12.6% of myocardium for LGE, 9.1% for native (p 0.05) and 19.4% (p 0.05) for post-contrast T1 mapping. LAD and RCA territory infarcts showed statistical discrepancy for both T1 acquisitions. Intraobserver differences in infarct size were comparable at 0.39% ± 0.28, 2.93% ± 0.03 and 0.97% ± 0.01 respectively (p≫0.05). Interobserver differences were 5.56% ± 0.91 for LGE, 11.87% ± 3.21 (p 0.05) for native and 5.55% ± 2.87 (p≫0.05) for post-contrast T1 mapping. In conclusion, native T1 acquisitions systematically underestimated infarct size in comparison to LGE, while post-contrast T1 overestimated it. Variances in measurements were most pronounced for LAD and RCA territory infarcts. Intraobserver reproducibility was similar with both methods, whereas interobserver variability for native T1 mapping acquisition was worse.

Cardiac symptoms are increasingly recognized as late complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in previously well individuals with mild initial illness, but the underlying pathophysiology leading to long-term cardiac symptoms remains unclear. In this study, we conducted serial cardiac assessments in a selected population of individuals with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with no previous cardiac disease or notable comorbidities by measuring blood biomarkers of heart injury or dysfunction and by performing magnetic resonance imaging. Baseline measurements from 346 individuals with COVID-19 (52% females) were obtained at a median of 109 days (interquartile range (IQR), 77–177 days) after infection, when 73% of participants reported cardiac symptoms, such as exertional dyspnea (62%), palpitations (28%), atypical chest pain (27%) and syncope (3%). Symptomatic individuals had higher heart rates and higher imaging values or contrast agent accumulation, denoting inflammatory cardiac involvement, compared to asymptomatic individuals. Structural heart disease or high levels of biomarkers of cardiac injury or dysfunction were rare in symptomatic individuals. At follow-up (329 days (IQR, 274–383 days) after infection), 57% of participants had persistent cardiac symptoms. Diffuse myocardial edema was more pronounced in participants who remained symptomatic at follow-up as compared to those who improved. Female gender and diffuse myocardial involvement on baseline imaging independently predicted the presence of cardiac symptoms at follow-up. Ongoing inflammatory cardiac involvement may, at least in part, explain the lingering cardiac symptoms in previously well individuals with mild initial COVID-19 illness.

Objective To develop a clinical risk score for individualized risk stratification of patients with clinically suspected myocardial inflammation. Background Myocardial inflammation is a prominent cause of non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure (HF) and sudden cardiac death. Methods This is a prospective multicentre longitudinal study of consecutive patients referred to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with clinically suspected myocardial inflammation between October 2011 and December 2019 as a part of standard diagnostic pathway. Patients were followed up from the date of CMR. The outcome endpoints included major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE, cardiovascular mortality, sudden cardiac death, appropriate device discharge); or death or hospitalisation due to HF). A prognostic model was developed using Cox proportional hazards analysis and validated internally and externally. Results The final dataset included 722 subjects (50 years (40–61); males 422 (58%)). During a follow-up period of median 19 (15–23) months, there were 64 (9%) MACE and 130 (18%) HF events. Ten predictor variables qualified for entry into the prognostic model: age, sex, hematocrit, C-reactive protein, high-sensitive troponin-T (TNT), left and right ventricular ejection fraction, native T1 and T2, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The final multivariable Cox regression model included native T2 (Figure 1A), TNT and LGE (Figure 1B) for the primary (Chi-square: 102.0, p Conclusions This is the first systematic assessment of outcomes in patients with clinically suspected myocardial inflammation, providing a non-invasive estimation of the probability of adverse events based on a score using readily available clinical parameters. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): DZHK

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background/Introduction People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, PLWH) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). HIV infection and accelerated traditional risk factors due to highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are proposed mechanisms for increased rate of heart failure (HF). The pathophysiological drivers of myocardial dysfunction and worse cardiovascular outcome in HIV remain poorly understood. Purpose To examine prognostic relationships of cardiac imaging measures with cardiovascular outcome in PLWH on HAART. Methods This is a prospective observational longitudinal study using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in consecutive PLHWH on long-term HAART who were screened for underlying CVD and followed up clinically for adjudicated adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular mortality, non-fatal acute coronary syndrome, an appropriate device discharge, or a documented HF hospitalization). Imaging protocol included routine assessment of cardiac volumes and function, scar by late gadolinium enhancement, myocardial perfusion and native T1 /T2 mapping. Time-to-event analysis was performed from the index CMR exam to the first single event per patient Systematic risk scores for CVD (Framingham risk score (FRS), Data Collection on Adverse effects of anti-HIV Drugs score, D:A:D and MAGGIC integer score) were calculated using original online calculators. Results 156 participants (males 62%, 50 [42-57] years of age) were included. 24 events were observed (4 HF deaths, 1 sudden cardiac death, 2 non-fatal acute myocardial infarction, 1 appropriate device discharge and 16 HF hospitalizations) during a median follow-up of 13 [9-19] months. Patients with events had higher native T1 (ms, 1149 [1115-1163] ms vs. 1110 [1075-1138] ms), native T2 (ms, 40 [38-41] vs. 37 [36-39]), LV mass index (g/m², 65 [49-77] vs. 57 [49-64]) p Conclusions Native myocardial T1 and LV mass by CMR, as opposed to traditional cardiovascular risk scores, predict cardiovascular outcome in PLWH, together reflecting the pathological myocardial remodeling of myocardial fibrosis and inflammation that potentially explain higher rates of HF in PLWH as compared to the non-infected population. These findings may inform personalized approaches to screening and early intervention to reduce the burden of HF.

Introduction\ud \ud Elevated myocardial T1-mapping and extracellular volume (ECV) measured on cardiac MR (CMR) imaging is associated with myocardial abnormalities such as oedema or fibrosis. This meta-analysis aims to provide a summary of T1-mapping and ECV values in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and compare their values with controls.\ud \ud \ud \ud Methods\ud \ud We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science in August 2020. We included CMR studies reporting T1-mapping or ECV values in adults with any type of PAH. We calculated the mean difference of T1-values and ECV between PAH and controls.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud We included 12 studies with 674 participants. T1-values were significantly higher in PAH with the highest mean difference (MD) recorded at the RV insertion points (RVIP) (108 milliseconds (ms), 95% confidence intervals (CI) 89 to 128), followed by the RV free wall (MD 91 ms, 95% CI 56 to 126). The pooled mean T1-value in PAH at the RVIP was 1084, 95% CI (1071 to 1097) measured using 1.5 Tesla Siemens systems. ECV was also higher in PAH with an MD of 7.5%, 95% CI (5.9 to 9.1) at the RV free wall.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud \ud T1 mapping values in PAH patients are on average 9% higher than healthy controls when assessed under the same conditions including the same MRI system, magnetic field strength or sequence used for acquisition. The highest T1 and ECV values are at the RVIP. T1 mapping and ECV values in PH are higher than the values reported in cardiomyopathies and were associated with poor RV function and RV dilatation.

Background Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is an important prognostic biomarker. Its everyday clinical use is limited due to methodological and postprocessing diversity among the users and vendors. Standardization of postprocessing approaches may reduce the random operator-dependent variability, allowing for comparability of measurements despite the systematic vendor-related differences. Methods We investigated the random component of variability in GLS measurements by optimization steps which incrementally improved observer reproducibility and agreement. Cine images in two-, three- and four-chamber-views were serially analysed by two independent observers using two different CMR-FT softwares. The disparity of outcomes after each series was systematically assessed after a number of stepwise adjustments which were shown to significantly reduce the inter-observer and intervendor bias, resulting standardized postprocessing approach. The final analysis was performed in 44 subjects (ischaemic heart disease n = 15, non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy, n = 19, healthy controls, n = 10). All measurements were performed blind to the underlying group allocation and previous measurements. Inter- and intra-observer variability were tested using Bland-Altman analyses, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of variation (CVs). Results Compared to controls, mean GLS was significantly lower in patients, as well as between the two subgroups (p Conclusion Standardization of GLS postprocessing helps to reduce the random component of variability, introduced by inconsistencies of and between observers, and also intervendor variability, but not the systematic inter-vendor bias due to differences in image processing algorithms. Standardization of GLS measurements is an essential step in ensuring the reliable quantification of myocardial deformation, and implementation of CMR-FT in clinical routine.

Cancer-related treatment is associated with development of heart failure and poor outcome in cancer-survivors. T1 and T2 mapping by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) may detect myocardial injury due to cancer-related treatment.Patients receiving cancer-related treatment regimes underwent screening of cardiac involvement with CMR, either within 3 months (early Tx) or12 months (late Tx) post-treatment. T1 and T2 mapping, cardiac function, strain, ischaemia-testing, scar-imaging and serological cardiac biomarkers were obtained.Compared to age/gender matched controls (n = 57), patients (n = 115, age (yrs): median(IQR) 48(28-60), females, n = 60(52%) had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LV-EF) and strain, and higher native T1 and T2. The early Tx group (n = 52) had significantly higher native T1, T2 and troponin levels compared to the late Tx group, indicating myocardial inflammation and oedema (p 0.01). On the contrary, late Tx patients showed raised native T1, increased LV-end-systolic volumes, reduced LV-EF and deformation, and elevated NT-proBNP, suggesting myocardial fibrosis and remodelling (p 0.05). Prospective validation of these results in an independent cohort of patients with similar treatment regimens (n = 25) and longitudinal assessments revealed high concordance of CMR imaging signatures of early and late cardiac involvement.Native T1 and T2 mapping can be valuable in detecting and monitoring of cardiac involvement with cancer-related treatment, providing distinct biosignatures of early inflammatory involvement (raised native T1 and T2) and interstitial fibrosis and remodelling (raised native T1 but not T2), respectively. Our findings may provide an algorithm allowing to identify susceptible myocardium to potentially guide cardio-protective treatment measures.

Additional file 3: Supplementary methods.

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Goethe University Hospital Introduction Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) with Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) is the standard imaging method for the measurement of the scar area in ischemic heart disease, a major determinant of adverse outcome. T1 mapping techniques have become increasingly applied in everyday clinical practice. Agreement in area quantification between T1 mapping and LGE for the scar extent has not been systematically assessed. Purpose This study aims to ascertain concordance between the area determined by native and post contrast T1 mapping against LGE to determine scar area in patients with a prior myocardial infarction. It also examines intra and inter-observer reproducibility for these two methods. Methods Subendocardial scar was evaluated in 132 patients with ischemic heart disease using LGE, native and post contrast T1 mapping in 3 short axis slices. Native and postcontrast T1 mapping was performed using GoetheCVI®MOLLI sequence (Gadovist® 0.1mmol/kg). FWHM method was applied for LGE and compared with the manually delineated area of scar in native and postcontrast T1 mapping acquisitions within the identical slices. The presence of the scar was defined as LGE >3% of the myocardial mass. Bland-Altman methods were employed to assess concordance between techniques and reproducibly between observers. Results In comparison to LGE, area measurements in native T1 acquisitions underestimated infarct size (9,1% vs 12,6%, p = 0.01), while postcontrast T1 overestimated it (19,4% vs 12,6%, p Conclusions We demonstrate that measurements of the area of myocardial scar by T1 mapping acquisitions yield considerably different results in comparison to the standard LGE-based FWHM method. High observer agreement indicates that these differences are genuinely related to the type of the underlying acquisition and the differences in detected signal. The approaches are not interchangeable. However, the importance of these results for predicting patient outcome is yet to be elucidated. Nonetheless, these results were consistent in the inter and intraobserver analysis for post contrast T1 mapping, although native T1 mapping failed to show similar consistency. Figure 1: Bland-Altmann plot of differences (mean ± upper and lower limit of agreement-LOA) in scar area extent (percentage) between LGE and native T1 mapping (A), LGE and post contrast T1 mapping (B). The difference increases linearly for larger scar areas when using post contrast mapping, which does not apply for native mapping. Abstract Figure 1

Introduction: COVID-19 is causing considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Serious respiratory complications aside, the heart is also frequently involved. The mechanisms and the extent of the myocardial injury, along with the short and long-term cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in COVID-19 survivors remain unclear. Areas covered: myocardial injury has been found in a considerable proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and is associated with a worse prognosis. The late onset of CV complications with myocarditis-like changes revealed by CMR has been reported in COVID-19 survivors. Previous observational studies on viral myocarditis provide evidence of a significant incomplete recovery with residual dysfunction and remodeling of left ventricle. Incomplete recovery is thought to be the result of persistent myocardial inflammation due to a post-viral autoimmune response. Considering the significant inflammatory nature of COVID-19, COVID-19 survivors may be at risk of developing persistent residual myocardial injury, the sequelae of which are unclear. Expert commentary: COVID-19 is an emerging threat for the heart. The extent of CV injury, along with the short and long-term sequelae, requires further investigation. The early detection of residual myocardial changes in COVID-19 survivors is of utmost importance in order to identify those patients at risk of CV complication development.

Background It is increasingly recognised that non-ischaemic and ischaemic myocardial involvement represent important drivers of cardiac diseases in people living with HIV (PLWH). Non-invasive measurements with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) directly inform on the type of myocardial damage. Purpose To screen for the prevalence and type of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in PLWH using stress CMR in a cohort with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Methods This prospective cross-sectional study enrolled consecutive PLWH undergoing standardised evaluation for CVD using imaging. All participants underwent a standardised CMR protocol in a 3 Tesla scanner for function and volumes (cine), stress perfusion (regadenosone), scar (late gadolinium enhancement (LGE)), diffuse fibrosis (native T1-mapping) and oedema (native T2-mapping). Blood samples were additionally collected prior to CMR. Results 141 participants were identified (n=32 in category C/AIDS). 16 patients had previously documented (n=23) myocardial diseases: myocarditis, n=1 non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), n=8 myocardial infarction, n=3 congestive heart failure, n=3, and arrhythmia, n=8. Mean value for hs-cTnT, CRP and NT-proBNP was 9±18ng/l, 0.3±0.6mg/l and 104±229ng/l. 14 subjects had impaired LV-EF ( Conclusions CMR in PLWH reveal high prevalence of cardiac involvement, which is predominantly non-ischaemic inflammatory in origin. MVD is a major presentation compared to relevant ischaemia due to epicardial CAD. Individual cardiovascular risk assessment in PLWH using CMR may bear a potential for personalised treatment. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): The German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)

Background People living with HIV (PLWH) have higher prevalence of heart failure (HF), which cannot be fully related to traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor< or coronary artery disease. Tissue characterisation by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), such as with T1 and T2 mapping, is a unique diagnostic approach to provide non-invasive insights into the underlying myocardial pathophysiology. Purpose To examine prognostic associations of CMR measures, conventional and modified CVD risk scores with HF outcome in PLWH on long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Methods Consecutive PLWH underwent prospectively standardized evaluation of HF using CMR, risk scores and blood markers. CMR protocol included T1 and T2 mapping, perfusion and scar imaging. MAGGIC, Framingham and D:A:D risk scores were collected. Primary HF endpoint was defined as hospitalization or mortality due to HF, and time-to-even analysis from the index CMR to the first event per patient was performed. Results 141 PLWH (61% males, 48.0 [40.1–54.6] years, CD4 count 655 [411–909] cells/μl) were included. 16 HF events were observed (12 hospitalizations and 4 deaths) during a median follow-up of 13 [9–16] months. Baseline myocardial native T1, T2, left ventricular volumes and troponin were significant univariate predictors of the HF endpoint. The only signifcant (p Conclusions Our results show that presence and severity of myocardial inflammation and predominantly diffuse fibrosis detected by T2 and T1 mapping strongly relates to HF events in contrast to conventional and traditional CVD risk scores. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): The German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)

In the above mentioned article, the family name of the second author was not given correctly: it is Carerj instead of Careri.The authors apologize for this mistake.The original article has been ….

Background High sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and NT-pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) are often elevated in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and associated with both cardiovascular remodeling and outcome. Relationship between these biomarkers and quantitative imaging measures of myocardial fibrosis and edema by T1 and T2 mapping remains unknown. Methods Consecutive patients with established CKD and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)

Chronic coronary artery disease remains an unconquered clinical problem, affecting an increasing number of people worldwide. Despite the improved understanding of the disease development, the implementation of the many advances in diagnosis and therapy is lacking. Many clinicians continue to rely on patient’s symptoms and diagnostic methods, which do not enable optimal clinical decisions. For example, echocardiography and invasive coronary catheterisation remain the mainstay investigations for stable angina patients in many places, despite the evidence on their limitations and availability of better diagnostic options. Cardiac MRI is a powerful diagnostic method, supporting robust measurements of crucial markers of cardiac structure and function, myocardial perfusion and scar, as well as providing detailed insight into myocardial tissue. Accurate and informative diagnostic readouts can help with guiding therapy, monitoring disease progress and tailoring the response to treatment. In this article, the authors outline the evidence supporting the state-of-art applications based on cardiovascular magnetic resonance, allowing the clinician optimal use of this insightful diagnostic method in everyday clinical practice.

Purpose of Review To provide an update on the recent findings in the field of aortic stiffness and heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recent Findings Stratification of cardiovascular risk in CKD remains an open question. Recent reports suggest that aortic stiffness, an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in many patient populations, is also an important prognostic factor in CKD. Also, novel measures of myocardial tissue characterization, native T1 and T2 mapping techniques, have potential as diagnostic and prognostic factors in CKD. Summary Cardiovascular magnetic resonance has the ability to thoroughly evaluate novel imaging markers: aortic stiffness, native T1, and native T2. Novel imaging markers can be used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes as well as potential therapeutic targets in CKD population.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Bland-Altman plots for 16 segment analysis (A), 32 segment analysis (B), 96 segment analysis (C), endo−/epicardial ratio based on 32 segments (D) and endo−/epicardial ratio based on 96 segments (E).

Cardiac sarcoidosis is a rare immunologic disease causing heart involvement in 5% of patients. Cardiac sarcoidosis may manifest clinically as a cardiomyopathy with impaired left ventricular (LV) function or as tachyarrhythmias or bradyarrhythmias. On autopsy, cardiac granulomas can be found in approximately 25% of patients. The most common location for granulomas and scars is the LV free wall, followed by the intraventricular septum, often with involvement of the conduction system. ...

Myocarditis and its sequelae remain an unconquered clinical problem, disproportionately affecting the young. Several hurdles beset myocarditis, including non-specific symptoms, heterogeneous clinical presentation, dynamic disease stages, underscored by an absence of an easy diagnostic test or a specific treatment. Areas covered: The current diagnostic means are poorly equipped to counter the challenge; the gold standard by invasive endomyocardial biopsy relies on availability of expert procedural and reading skill. The tissue diagnostic criteria were developed to improve readers agreement with clinical diagnosis, and not based on evidence for differential treatment or improved prognosis. The Lake-Louise Criteria represented a first step towards a non-invasive diagnosis. They require extensive imaging, which is insufficiently robust with poor diagnostic confidence and tissue pathophysiological validation; they similarly lack evidence of improved outcome by guiding clinical management. T1 and T2 mapping are a step-change, providing robust, short and quantifiable imaging application, which can veritably reflect the dynamic and heterogeneous underlying disease. Expert commentary: T1 and T2 mapping harbours a unique potential for an objective non-invasive disease recognition and treatment discovery in myocarditis. These measures should enter independently into clinical experimentation, with a high priority for outcome and therapeutic studies.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the major cause of cardiac morbidity and mortality worldwide, despite the advances in treatment with coronary revascularization and modern antiremodeling therapy. Risk stratification in CAD patients is primarily based on left ventricular volumes, ejection fraction (LVEF), risk scores, and the presence and extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The prognostic role of T1 mapping in noninfarcted myocardium in CAD patients has not yet been determined.This study sought to examine prognostic significance of native T1 mapping of noninfarcted myocardium in patients with CAD.A prospective, observational, multicenter longitudinal study of consecutive patients undergoing routine cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with T1 mapping and LGE. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Major adverse cardiocerebrovascular events (MACCE) (cardiac mortality, nonfatal acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and appropriate device discharge) are also reported.A total of 34 deaths and 71 MACCE (n = 665, males n = 424, median age [interquartile range] 57 [22] years; 64%; median follow-up period of 17 [11] months) were observed. Native T1 and extracellular volume were univariate predictors of outcome. Native T1 and LGE were stronger predictors of survival and MACCE compared with extracellular volume, LVEF, cardiac volumes, and clinical scores (p 0.001). Native T1 of noninfarcted myocardium was the sole independent predictor of all-cause mortality (chi-square = 21.7; p 0.001), which was accentuated in the absence of LGE or LVEF ≤35%. For MACCE, native T1 and LGE extent were joint independent predictors (chi-square = 25.6; p 0.001).Characterization of noninfarcted myocardium by native T1 is an important predictor of outcome in CAD patients, over and above the traditional risk stratifiers. The current study's results provide a basis for a novel risk stratification model in CAD based on a complementary assessment of noninfarcted myocardium and post-infarction scar, by native T1 mapping and LGE, respectively.

Background Reducing time and contrast agent doses are important goals to provide cost-efficient cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Limited information is available regarding the feasibility of evaluating left ventricular (LV) function after gadobutrol injection as well as defining the lowest dose for high quality scar imaging. We sought to evaluate both aspects separately and systematically to provide an optimized protocol for contrast-enhanced CMR (CE-CMR) using gadobutrol. Methods This is a prospective, randomized, single-blind cross-over study performed in two different populations. The first population consisted of 30 patients with general indications for a rest CE-CMR who underwent cine-imaging before and immediately after intravenous administration of 0.1 mmol/kg body-weight of gadobutrol. Quantitative assessment of LV volumes and function was performed by the same reader in a randomized and blinded fashion. The second population was composed of 30 patients with indication to late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging, which was performed twice at different gadobutrol doses (0.1 mmol/kg vs. 0.2 mmol/kg) and at different time delays (5 and 10 min vs. 5, 10, 15 and 20 min), within a maximal interval of 21 days. LGE images were analysed qualitatively (contrast-to-noise ratio) and quantitatively (LGE%-of-mass). Results Excellent correlation between pre- and post-contrast cine-imaging was found, with no difference of LV stroke volume and ejection fraction (p = 0.538 and p = 0.095, respectively). End-diastolic-volume and end-systolic-volume were measured significantly larger after contrast injection (p = 0.008 and p = 0.001, respectively), with a mean difference of 3.7 ml and 2.9 ml, respectively. LGE imaging resulted in optimal contrast-to-noise ratios 10 min post-injection for a gadobutrol dose of 0.1 mmol/kg body-weight and 20 min for a dose of 0.2 mmol/kg body-weight. At these time points LGE quantification did not significantly differ (0.1 mmol/kg: 11% (16.4); 0.2 mmol/kg: 12% (14.5); p = 0.059), showing excellent correlation (ICC = 0.957; p

Purpose To determine whether quantitative tissue characterization with T1 and T2 mapping supports recognition of myocardial involvement in patients with systemic sarcoidosis. Materials and Methods Fifty-three consecutive patients with a biopsy-proven extracardiac diagnosis of systemic sarcoidosis (21 men; median age, 45 years; interquartile range, 22 years) and 36 normotensive previously healthy control subjects (14 men; median age, 43 years; interquartile range, 18 years) underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, which was performed to assess cardiac function and late gadolinium enhancement, and T1 and T2 mapping. A follow-up substudy was performed in 40 patients (mean follow-up interval, 144 days ± 35 [standard deviation]); of these 40 patients, 18 underwent anti-inflammatory treatment for systemic symptoms. Binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to assess discrimination between health and disease; Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to assess the effect of treatment. Results When compared with control subjects, patients had higher ventricular volume, higher myocardial native T1 and T2, and lower longitudinal strain and ejection fraction (P.05 for all). Myocardial native T1 and T2 had higher discriminatory accuracy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]: 0.96 and 0.89, respectively) for separation between control subjects and patients when compared with the standard diagnostic criteria (AUC0.67). Native T1 was the independent discriminator between health and disease (specificity, 90%; sensitivity, 96%; accuracy, 94%). There was a significant reduction of native T1 and T2 in the patients who underwent treatment (z score: -3.72 and -2.88; P.01) but not in the patients who did not (z score, -1.42 and -1.38; P.15). Conclusion Quantitative myocardial tissue characterization with T1 and T2 mapping may enable noninvasive recognition of cardiac involvement and activity of myocardial inflammation in patients with systemic sarcoidosis. Future studies will be performed to confirm their role in risk stratification and guidance of clinical management.

Introduction Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (FT) is based on the recognition of endocardial features obtained during standard CMR cine imaging to be tracked and followed throughout the cardiac cycle. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) has been proposed as a superior measure for diagnosis and prognosis than ejection fraction (EF). However, EF remains an important primary parameter to describe cardiac function. A rapid determination of GLS based on three long axis views (LAX) allows for a simultaneous calculation of EF without additional imaging or post-processing promising a significant reduction of scan and post-processing time. Purpose The purpose of this work is to compare the LV volumes and EF obtained during assessment of GLS based on CMR feature tracking with standard analysis of a short axis (SAX) stack used as the reference standard. Methods 75 consecutive patients underwent a routine clinical scan obtaining a full SAX stack as well as 3 standard LAX views using either 3-Tesla or 1,5-Tesla clinical scanners. We determined LV volumes and EF based on the reference standard as well as feature tracking analysis with additional GLS. A p value Results Mean EF was 45.9% using standard SAX (range, 13%-72%) and 51.1% using triplanar feature tracking (r=0.950; p Figure 1 Conclusion There is a good correlation between EF obtained by rapid post-processing of GLS with EF based on a full SAX stack resulting in an identical categorization in 79% of patients. Reduction of EF within the mid-range might be best assesses by the standard SAX stack.

Background Myocarditis is defined by inflammatory involvement of the myocardium, either histologically by evidence of myocardial necrosis and cellular infiltration on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), or non-invasively by presence of myocardial oedema using tissue mapping with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). Objective: to undertake intra-individual comparisons of EMB vs. CMR diagnostic algorithms of myocardial inflammation, as well as against an independent gold-standard of myocardial injury, high-sensitive troponin (hs-TropT). Methods Prospective multicentre study of consecutive patients (n=109) with clinical diagnosis of myocarditis. EMBs were analysed by 2 reference centres using the ESC diagnostic and their local algorithms. The CMR criteria used sequence-specific cut-offs for native T1 and T2 (standard deviation, SD); myocardial inflammation T1 ≥2SD, T2 ≥2SD and no inflammation: T1 and T2 Results The agreement between ESC criteria and CMR criteria (AUC: 0.56, p=0.381) was poor. There was a significant agreement between myocardial injury (hs-TropT ≥13.9 ng/L) and CMR criteria (AUC: 0.84, p AUC of CMR and EMB versus hs-TroponinT Conclusions Poor agreement between CMR and EMB-based diagnostic algorithms suggests non-overlapping definitions of myocardial inflammatory involvement. Excellent agreement between CMR algorithm and hs-TropT reiterates its high sensitivity for inflammatory myocardial injury. Acknowledgement/Funding 1. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre 2. German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)

Introduction Increase in native T1 mapping values provides insight into presence of disease and its evolution. Despite the surge of evidence, the immediate clinical application of these techniques is complicated by several variants of T1 mapping sequences, whose diagnostic bioequivalence is not known. Methods We undertook an intra-individual comparison of two native T1 measurements based on modified Look-Locker (MOLLI) schemes, MOLLI 3(2)3(2)5 (flip angle, FA 50°, T1-FFM) and MOLLI 5(3)3 (FA 35°, T1 Long) in 30 patients with myocarditis proven by left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy. We examined their agreement with high-sensitive troponin T (hs-TnT) levels, as the reference standard for myocyte injury. All patients underwent a routine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) scan using a 3-Tesla clinical scanner. Native T1 values were estimated using a septal region of interest (ROI) in a single mid ventricular short axis (SAX) slice. Areas of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) were excluded from ROIs. Venous blood was sampled at the time of the CMR study and hs-TnT analyzed using standardized commercially available test kits. A p value Results Native T1 by T1-FFM was moderately associated with MOLLI 5(3)3 (FA 35°) (Pearsons r=0.877, p Conclusions Although native T1 by T1 Long showed a moderate correlation with the native T1 FFM in patients with biopsy proven myocarditis, only T1 FFM had a significant correlation with hsTnT suggesting a greater sensitivity for myocardial injury.

Profound left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy with diastolic dysfunction and heart failure is the cardinal manifestation of heart remodelling in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Previous studies related increased T1 mapping values in CKD with diffuse fibrosis. Native T1 is a non-specific readout that may also relate to increased intramyocardial fluid. We examined concomitant T1 and T2 mapping signatures and undertook comparisons with other hypertrophic conditions.In this prospective multicentre study, consecutive CKD patients (n = 154) undergoing routine clinical cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging were compared with patients with hypertensive (HTN, n = 163) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, n = 158), and normotensive controls (n = 133).Native T1 was significantly higher in all patient groups, whereas native T2 in CKD only (p 0.001 vs. all groups). Native T1 and T2 were interrelated in patient groups and the strength of association was condition-specific (CKD r = 0.558, HTN r = 0.324, both p 0.001; HCM r = 0.157, p = 0.05). Native T1 and T2 were similarly correlated in all CKD stages (S3 r = 0.501, S4 0.586, S5 r = 0.424, p 0.001 for all). Native T1 was the strongest myocardial discriminator between patients and controls (area under the curve, AUC HCM: 0.97; CKD: 0.97, HTN 0.98), native T2 between CKD vs HCM (AUC 0.90) and native T1 and T2 between CKD vs HTN (AUC: 0.83 and 0.80 respectively), p 0.001 for all.Our findings reveal different CMR signatures of common hypertrophic cardiac phenotypes. Native T1 was raised in all conditions, indicating the presence of pathologic hypertrophic remodelling. Markedly raised native T2 was CKD-specific, suggesting a prominent role of intramyocardial fluid.