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Aims: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a reference standard imaging technique in assessment of cardiomyopathies due to the accurate measurement of cardiac volumes and mass. In clinical routine, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the standard first-line technique and is commonly used for follow-up. In this study we examined how CMR-derived measurement of left ventricular (LV) chamber dimensions and wall thickness correspond to TTE., Methods and Results: A total of 101 subjects underwent TTE and CMR (men, n = 67, mean age 62 ± 9 years) and formed a normal group (n = 44), a group with dilated LV cavity (n = 33; LV internal dimensions in end-diastole ≥ 52 mm) and a group with increased LV wall thickness (n = 24; interventricular septum ≥ 12 mm, inferolateral wall both in end-diastole ≥ 12 mm). Standard TTE measurements of LV chamber and wall thickness were compared to CMR-derived values in the basal short-axis slice and the 3-chamber (3-CH) view. Interstudy reproducibility for CMR was done in 23 subjects. In all groups, there was a better agreement between TTE and 3-CH for all dimensions. The intraobserver and interobserver agreements were superior for 3-CH view. In addition, both CMR approaches showed sound interstudy reproducibility for all dimensions and in all groups., Conclusion: We demonstrate a good agreement between CMR and TTE in LV chamber dimension and wall thickness measurements. We propose that with CMR using a 3-CH approach is superior in reproducibility and closer in concordance with TTE-derived values.

Elderly women have increased aortic and ventricular stiffness but preserved global systolic function. Possible gender differences in ventricular deformation attributed to increased aortic stiffness at rest or with positive inotropic stress remain unknown. Eighty-four subjects (mean age: 63±8 years) were assessed for aortic stiffness by pulse wave velocity and ventricular deformation at rest and during dobutamine stress using magnetic resonance. At rest, women (n=40) had greater aortic stiffness and ventricular deformation than men (P<0.05). In men, dobutamine increased longitudinal (mean±SD: 3.3±4.1%; P<0.01) and circumferential deformation (2.9±5.1%; P=0.007), whereas women showed an increase in circumferential deformation only (4.8±6.3%; P<0.01). In men there was an inverse association between longitudinal deformation and pulse wave velocity at rest (r=-0.51; P=0.002) and linear at stress (r=0.52; P=0.001). In women there were no significant relations at rest, whereas at stress longitudinal deformation was inversely associated with pulse wave velocity (r=-0.43; P=0.02). We demonstrate gender-specific differences in the relationship between aortic stiffness and ventricular deformation at rest and during dobutamine stress. Although at rest longitudinal deformation is inversely related to aortic stiffness in men, there is no such relationship in women. At stress, men improve longitudinal function, whereas in women such response is limited.