Significance of Late Gadolinium Enhancement in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR)

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) permits optimal differentiation between normal and diseased myocardium with the use of gadoliniumbased contrast agents and special magnetic resonance pulse sequences. Imaging is performed 10-20 min after contrast agent application to produce so-called late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) images which depict diseased myocardium with excellent reproducibility. Areas showing LGE correspond to zones of myocyte necrosis or myocardial fibrosis as shown by comparison with histopathology. Typical patterns of hyperenhancement exist in ischemic heart disease but also in dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and other inflammatory or infiltrative myocardial disease and are described in this article. LGE-CMR is helpful to distinguish advanced ischemic heart disease from nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. In ischemic heart disease LGE can also predict the functional recovery after revascularization procedures by directly showing the remaining viable myocardium. LGE may also become useful to predict malignant arrhythmias in patients with ischemic heart disease or nonischemic cardiomyopathy. This may lead in future to an increased role of LGE-CMR as a prognostic tool.     

The Current and Emerging Role of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic cardiomyopathy with substantial heterogeneity in phenotypic expression and clinical course. Traditionally, two-dimensional echocardiography has been the easiest and most reliable technique for establishing a diagnosis of HCM. However, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as a novel, three-dimensional tomographic imaging technique, which provides high spatial and temporal resolution images of the heart in any plane and without ionizing radiation. As a result, CMR is particularly well suited to provide detailed characterization of the HCM phenotype, including precise assessment of the location and distribution of left ventricular (LV) wall thickening. In this regard, CMR can identify hypertrophy (particularly in the anterolateral free wall and apex), not well appreciated (or underestimated) by two-dimensional echocardiography, with important implications for diagnosis. CMR can also provide detailed characterization of other myocardial structures such as the papillary muscles, which may impact on preoperative management strategies for patients who are candidates for surgical myectomy. Furthermore, CMR enables an accurate assessment of total LV mass, a robust marker of the overall extent of hypertrophy, which may have implications for risk stratification. In addition, a subgroup of HCM patients have normal LV mass (with focal hypertrophy), suggesting that a limited extent of hypertrophy is consistent with a diagnosis of HCM. Finally, following the intravenous administration of gadolinium, first-pass perfusion sequences can identify myocardial perfusion abnormalities, while late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequences can characterize areas of myocardial fibrosis/scarring. LGE is associated with systolic dysfunction and likelihood for ventricular tachyarrhythmias on ambulatory Holter monitoring in patients with HCM. However, the precise clinical implications of myocardial perfusion abnormalities and LGE in HCM are still uncertain; this information may have important implications with regard to identifying HCM patients at risk of sudden death and adverse LV remodeling associated with systolic dysfunction. Therefore, at present, CMR provides important information impacting on diagnosis and clinical management strategies in patients with HCM and will likely have an expanding role in the evaluation of patients with this complex disease.     

Current and future role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in cardiac resynchronization therapy

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has revolutionized the treatment of selected patients with systolic heart failure. It is well recognized, however, that the symptomatic response to and the outcome of CRT is highly variable. The degree of pre-implant mechanical dyssynchrony and the extent as well as the localization of myocardial scarring are known to contribute to this variability. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold-standard imaging modality for the assessment of myocardial structure and function. Recently, CMR has also been shown to be useful in assessing cardiac dyssynchrony and in guiding left ventricular lead deployment away from scarred myocardium. This review explores the current role of CMR in risk stratification and in guiding LV lead deployment. The potential of CMR in identifying the arrhythmogenic substrate is also discussed.     

Novel contributions of multimodality imaging in hypertension:A narrative review

Hypertension is currently one of the most prevalent il nesses worldwide,and is the second most common cause of heart failure,only behind ischemic cardiomyopathy.The development of novel multimodality imaging techniques in recent years has broadened the diagnostic methods,risk stratification and monitoring of treatment of cardiovascular diseases available for clinicians.Cardiovascular magnetic resonance(CMR) has a great capacity to evaluate cardiac dimensions and ventricular function,is extremely useful in ruling-out ischemic cardiomyopathy,the evaluation of the vascular system,in making the differential diagnosis for resistant hypertension and risk stratification for hypertensive cardiomyopathy and constitutes today,the method of choice to evaluate left ventricular systolic function.Computed tomography(CT) is the method of choice for the evaluation of vascular anatomy,including coronary arteries,and is also able to provide both functional and structural information.Finally,nuclear cardiology studies have been traditionally used to evaluate myocardial ischemia,along with offering the capacity to evaluate ventricular,endothelial and cardiac innervation function;information that is key in directing the treatment of the patient.In this narrative review,the most recent contributions of multimodality imaging to the patient with hypertension(CMR,CT and nuclear cardiology) will be reviewed.     

Distribution of late gadolinium enhancement in various types of cardiomyopathies:Significance in differential diagnosis,clinical features and prognosis

The recent development of cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)techniques has allowed detailed analyses of cardiac function and tissue characterization with high spatial resolution.We review characteristic CMR features in ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies(ICM and NICM),especially in terms of the location and distribution of late gadolinium enhancement(LGE).CMR in ICM shows segmental wall motion abnormalities or wall thinning in a particular coronary arterial territory,and the subendocardial or transmural LGE.LGE in NICM generally does not correspond to any particular coronary artery distribution and is located mostly in the mid-wall to subepicardial layer.The analysis of LGE distribution is valuable to differentiate NICM with diffusely impaired systolic function,including dilated cardiomyopathy,end-stage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM),cardiac sarcoidosis,and myocarditis,and those with diffuse left ventricular(LV)hypertrophy including HCM,cardiac amyloidosis and Anderson-Fabry disease.A transient low signal intensity LGE in regions of severe LV dysfunction is a particular feature of stress cardiomyopathy.In arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia,an enhancement of right ventricular(RV)wall with functional and morphological changes of RV becomes apparent.Finally,the analyses of LGE distribution have potentials to predict cardiac outcomes and response to treatments.     

心脏核磁共振在心肌淀粉样变中的诊断价值

目的 研究心内膜心肌活检(EMB)确诊心肌淀粉样变性(CA)患者的临床和心脏核磁共振(CMR)特点,明确CMR在CA中的诊断价值.方法 回顾性分析2006年9月至2010年12月期间EMB确诊CA并行CMR检查患者的临床表现、心电图、心脏超声及CMR结果.结果 共18例患者通过EMB确诊为CA,其中5例进行了CMR检查.5例患者均有心力衰竭的临床表现以及心电图改变,心脏超声示左心室向心性肥厚,心肌回声增强、颗粒样回声,左心房扩大,限制性舒张功能不全.CMR主要表现为左心室壁增厚,室间隔增厚明显,双房均增大,心室收缩功能正常或减低,舒张功能均不同程度受限,部分伴有心包及胸腔积液,延迟钆显像(LGE)呈不同程度的延迟强化,位于左心室心内膜下或心肌弥漫性延迟强化,部分患者强化可为线样、颗粒样或斑片状.随病程延长,心肌LGE程度及范围有更严重的趋势,与心电图改变一致.结论 CMR有助于CA诊断及病情判断,为CA重要的无创检查方法之一.临床怀疑CA患者可早期进行CMR检查,特别是在没有开展EMB检查的医院.     

Complexity of scar and ventricular arrhythmias in dilated cardiomyopathy of any etiology: Long‐term data from the SCARFEAR (Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Predictors of Appropriate Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillator Therapy Delivery) Registry

Background

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) assessed with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) correlates with ventricular arrhythmias and survival in patients with structural heart disease. Whether some LGE characteristics may specifically improve prediction of arrhythmic outcomes is unknown.

Hypothesis

We sought to evaluate scar characteristics assessed with CMR to predict implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) interventions in dilated cardiomyopathy of different etiology.

Methods

96 consecutive patients evaluated with CMR received an ICD. Biventricular volumes, ejection fraction, and myocardial LGE were evaluated. LGE was defined as “complex” (Cx‐LGE) in presence of ≥1 of the following: ischemic pattern, involving ≥2 different coronary territories; epicardial pattern; global endocardial pattern; and presence of ≥2 different patterns. The primary endpoint was occurrence of any appropriate ICD intervention. A composite secondary endpoint of cardiovascular death, cardiac transplantation, or ventricular assist device implantation was also considered.

Results

During a median follow‐up of 75 months, 30 and 25 patients reached the primary and secondary endpoints, respectively. Cx‐LGE was correlated with a worse primary endpoint survival (log‐rank P < 0.001). Cx‐LGE and right ventricular end‐diastolic volume were independently associated with the primary endpoint (HR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.56–6.65, P = 0.002; and HR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.00–1.12, P = 0.045, respectively), but not with the secondary endpoint.

Conclusions

Cx‐LGE identified at CMR imaging seems promising as an independent and specific prognostic factor of ventricular arrhythmias requiring ICD therapy in dilated cardiomyopathy of different etiologies.     

Myocardial viability–State of the art: Is it still relevant and how to best assess it with imaging?

Despite major advances, ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) remains a significant cause of death and disability worldwide, with coronary artery disease (CAD) the leading cause of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. Coronary revascularization may improve LV function, heart failure symptoms and cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients with myocardial viability. Multiple imaging modalities have been utilized to detect viable myocardium and predict functional recovery following revascularization. Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE), nuclear imaging and cardiac MRI (CMR) are frequently used to assess viability. This review will summarize the extant literature on this topic, describe the role and methods for viability imaging in modern clinical practice, provide a patient-centered perspective regarding the controversies surrounding the current utility of viability imaging, as well as discuss future directions.     

High-Resolution Late Gadolinium Enhancement Magnetic Resonance for the Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction With Nonobstructed Coronary Arteries

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic yield of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) including high-resolution (HR) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging using a 3-dimensional respiratory-navigated method in patients with myocardial infarction with nonobstructed coronary arteries (MINOCA).BackgroundCMR plays a pivotal role for the diagnosis of patients with MINOCA. However, the diagnosis remains inconclusive in a significant number of patients, the results of CMR being either negative or uncertain (i.e., compatible with multiple diagnoses).MethodsConsecutive patients categorized as having MINOCA after blood testing, electrocardiography, coronary angiography, and echocardiography underwent conventional CMR, including cine, T2-weighted, first-pass perfusion, and conventional breath-held LGE imaging. HR LGE imaging using a free-breathing method allowing improved spatial resolution (voxel size 1.25 × 1.25 × 2.5 mm) was added to the protocol when the results of conventional CMR were inconclusive and was optional otherwise. Diagnoses retained after reviewing conventional CMR were compared with those retained after the addition of HR LGE imaging.ResultsFrom 2013 to 2016, 229 patients were included (mean age 56 ± 17 years, 45% women). HR LGE imaging was performed in 172 patients (75%). In this subpopulation, definite diagnoses were retained after conventional CMR in 86 patients (50%): infarction in 39 (23%), myocarditis in 32 (19%), takotsubo cardiomyopathy in 13 (8%), and other diagnoses in 2 (1%). In the remaining 86 patients (50%), results of CMR were inconclusive: negative in 54 (31%) and consistent with multiple diagnoses in 32 (19%). HR LGE imaging led to changes in final diagnosis in 45 patients (26%) and to a lower rate of inconclusive final diagnosis (29%) (p < 0.001). In particular, HR LGE imaging could reveal or ascertain the diagnosis of infarction in 14% and rule out the diagnosis of infarction in 12%. HR LGE imaging was particularly useful when the results of transthoracic echocardiography, ventriculography, and conventional CMR were negative, with a 48% rate of modified diagnosis in this subpopulation.ConclusionsHR LGE imaging has high diagnostic value in patients with MINOCA and inconclusive findings on conventional CMR. This has major diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications.     

Prevalence,Patterns, and Clinical Predictors of Left Ventricular Late Gadolinium Enhancement in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Prior to Pulmonary Vein Antral Isolation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is increasingly used to evaluate patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) before pulmonary vein antral isolation (PVAI). The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence and pattern of left ventricular (LV) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in patients undergoing CMR before PVAI and compare the clinical and demographic differences of patients with and without LV LGE.Clinical and demographic data on 62 patients (mean age 61 ± 7.9, 69% male) undergoing CMR before PVAI for AF were collected. Two observers, masked to clinical histories, independently recorded the prevalence, extent (number of myocardial segments), and pattern (subendocardial, midmyocardial, or subepicardial) of LV LGE in each patient. Clinical and demographic predictors of LV LGE were determined using logistic regression.Twenty-three patients (37%) demonstrated LV LGE affecting a mean of 3.0 ± 2.1 myocardial segments. There was no difference in LV ejection fraction between patients with and without LGE, and most (65%) patients with LGE had normal wall motion. Only age (P = 0.04) and a history of congestive heart failure (P = .03) were statistically significant independent predictors of LGE. The most common LGE pattern was midmyocardial, seen in 17 of 23 (74%) patients. Only 4 of 23 (17%) patients had LGE in an “expected” pattern based on clinical history. Of the remaining 19 patients, 4 had known congestive heart failure, 5 nonischemic cardiomyopathy, 4 known coronary artery disease, and 2 prior aortic valve replacement. Six of 23 (26%) patients had no known coronary artery, valvular, or myocardial disease.There is a high prevalence of unexpected LV scar in patients undergoing CMR before PVAI for AF, with most patients demonstrating a nonischemic pattern of LV LGE and no wall motion abnormalities (ie, subclinical disease). The high prevalence of unexpected LGE in these patients may argue for CMR as the modality of choice for imaging integration before PVAI, especially given the demonstrated prognostic value of LGE in this and other patient populations.     

The Prognostic Role of Late Gadolinium Enhancement Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Cardiomyopathy

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) is currently considered part of standard care at many academic centres for the evaluation of patients with ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy. While CMRI provides unparalleled diagnostic versatility for the assessment of myocardial function, perfusion, and tissue health, evidence supporting its prognostic value for the prediction of important cardiovascular events is now emerging. Given the low specificity of currently available clinical markers in patients with cardiomyopathy, more-robust biomarkers aimed at identifying those at high risk of sudden cardiac death and other relevant outcomes are desirable. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) CMRI offers the novel capacity to quantify the burden of myocardial fibrosis, a common pathophysiological end point of most cardiomyopathy states. As such, it has the potential to be a robust and ubiquitous marker of cardiovascular events related to the presence of advanced tissue disease. This review paper focuses on the evidence to date supporting LGE imaging as a tool for the prediction of future cardiovascular events in patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy.     

The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Phenotype Viewed Through the Prism of Multimodality Imaging: Clinical and Etiologic Implications

Noninvasive contemporary imaging with echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) provide comprehensive characterization of the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) heart including precise definition of left ventricle (LV) wall thickness and reliable identification of morphologic abnormalities of the mitral valve, LV chamber, and myocardial tissue characterization with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) (fibrosis). Imaging also contributes to identification of patients at risk for sudden death including novel high-risk features such as LV apical aneurysm and extensive LGE. Exercise (stress) echocardiography should be considered to demonstrate physiologic provocation of LV outflow gradients and to distinguish from patients with nonobstructive HCM. Multimodality imaging identifies patients who are optimal candidates for invasive septal reduction therapy and directs preoperative planning for extended myectomy and to optimize alcohol septal ablation. Contemporary imaging interwoven with current management strategies have resulted in a low HCM-related mortality rate.     

Myocardial cleft in a patient with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: An unusual association identified by cardiac magnetic resonance

We present the case of an 84‐year‐old woman admitted for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy complicated by congestive heart failure. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was performed on day five and confirmed severely depressed left ventricular systolic function with typical apical ballooning. In steady‐state free precession long‐axis cine imaging, a basal inferior myocardial cleft was also observed, with no signs of myocardial noncompaction or regional wall motion abnormalities involving this segment. The pre‐discharge CMR study confirmed the presence of a basal inferior myocardial cleft and significant improvement in left ventricular systolic function.Myocardial clefts are congenital abnormalities that have been described in healthy individuals as well as in the setting of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but it is not clear whether it is a benign structural variant or a distinct cardiomyopathy phenotype. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of this abnormality in a patient with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.     

Cardiac Imaging Integration in 2009 and Beyond: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is currently well recognized in clinical practice for the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases. CMR is helpful in the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with myocardial infarction. The high spatial resolution of CMR enables accurate assessment of tissue characterization in various types of cardiomyopathy. In addition, CMR may play a complementary role with echocardiography in clinical evaluation of patients with valvular and congenital heart disease.     

The role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in patients with acute coronary syndromes

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is a recognized technique for characterization of myocardial tissue in stable ischemic heart disease. In addition, CMR is emerging as a noninvasive imaging tool that can provide supporting information to guide treatment in acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). The advantages of using CMR acutely could potentially include triage/differential diagnosis in patients presenting with chest pain and troponin rise but without diagnostic electrocardiogram changes, assessment of severity of myocardial injury (irreversible vs reversible damage) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and risk stratification and assessment of prognosis in patients with ACS. This review evaluates a potential clinical role of CMR in the acute setting, highlighting its advantages and limitations. This critical approach emphasizes areas of uncertainty and ongoing controversies but aims to equip the reader to evaluate the potential clinical application and the practicalities of CMR in patients presenting with ACS.     

Non-invasive diagnostic imaging techniques as a window into the diabetic heart: a review of experimental and clinical data.

Epidemiological and clinical studies show a clear association of diabetes mellitus with congestive heart failure and cardiovascular events independent of blood pressure and ischemic heart disease. The definition of 'diabetic cardiomyopathy' as a clinical entity, however, relies on distinct myocellular and interstitial alterations found in the myocardium of patients with diabetes. The histological findings comprise myocellular hypertrophy, thickening of capillary basement membranes, interstitial fibrosis and rarification of mitochondria on the ultrastructural level. For clinical routine, early detection of diabetic cardiomyopathy seems crucial for identification of patients at cardiovascular risk since the prevalence of heart failure in individuals with diabetes is markedly increased. Recent technical developments in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), echocardiography as well as nuclear scintigraphy have advanced the diagnostic applications for the detection of diabetic heart disease. This review aims to present distinct aspects of diabetic cardiomyopathy that were identified using non- invasive imaging techniques. Due to the wide availability and the low costs of echocardiography, it is the most frequently used imaging technique to detect left ventricular dysfunction in patients with diabetes. MRI on the other hand can provide assessment of myocardial structure with higher spatial resolution and allows objective assessment of left ventricular function. This makes MRI an attractive alternative for the detection of discrete alterations, particularly in patients with poor echogenic windows. Finally, nuclear scintigraphy can provide information on cardiac autonomic integrity and accurately detect defects in autonomic control, which are considered a major cardiovascular risk factor in patients with diabetes.     

Segmental longitudinal strain as the most accurate predictor of the patchy pattern late gadolinium enhancement in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

BackgroundThe prognostic value of myocardial fibrosis in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has been well-established. Although cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the method of choice in its revealing as the presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), this technique still has limited availability in daily clinical practice. Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D STE) seems to be helpful in verification which HCM patient has the highest probability of LGE presence and hence needs to be qualified to CMR. While the majority of HCM patients have a patchy pattern of myocardial fibrosis, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether segmental rather than global longitudinal strain is more accurate in the identification of the presence of LGE.MethodsForty-six HCM patients had transthoracic echocardiography and CMR imaging performed. Each patient had global longitudinal strain and rotation parameters calculated, as well as segmental analyses for wall thickness, longitudinal strain, and LGE presence based on 736 segments of the left ventricle (LV). The presence of LGE in CMR was confirmed on a per-segment basis, which was similar to LV segments in the echocardiographic examination. All patients were divided into two groups according to the CMR result: LGE (+) and LGE (?).ResultsReceiver-operating characteristic analyses identified peak global longitudinal strain and peak twisting velocity with the cut-off values ?14.4% and 116°/s respectively as the accurate predictors of LGE presence in CMR, whereas segmental longitudinal strain of ?12.5% cut-off value had the highest area under the curve value (87.4%, confidence interval 84.5–90.3%), with 93.7% sensitivity, 86.5% negative predictive value, and 55% specificity.ConclusionsSegmental longitudinal strain with the cut-off value of ?12.5% has the highest discriminatory power for LGE presence and seems to be more adequate than global speckle tracking parameters in identification of HCM patients with strong indications for CMR for more accurate risk stratification.     

Myocardial imaging with 123I-BMIPP in patients with congestive heart failure

First, we studied the diagnostic utility of myocardial imaging with 123I-BMIPP (BMIPP), a 3-methyl-branched fatty acid analog, in patients with various types of cardiomyopathy and left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction below 40%) by comparing with myocardial flow tracer imaging. The incidence of a dissociation between myocardial BMIPP and 201Tl distributions (BMIPP< 201Tl) as a marker of metabolic abnormality in viable tissue varied considerably among various heart diseases. Patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and the dilated form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy had a higher incidence while those with idiopathic dilated, alcoholic and hypertensive cardiomyopathy had a lower incidence. These results suggest that the marked difference between ischemic and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathies may contribute to the differential diagnosis between these two diseases which are main basic abnormalities in congestive heart failure. Second, we investigated the relationship between myocardial BMIPP uptake and ventricular stress in patients with right ventricular pressure overload due to pulmonary hypertension. Myocardial BMIPP uptake in the right ventricle estimated by referring to uptake in the left ventricle showed a significant correlation with mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and no significant difference with myocardial 99mTc-sestamibi uptake in the 15–81mmHg mPAP range. These results suggest that myocardial utilization of free fatty acid may be preserved in the presence of higher ventricular wall stress.     

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

BackgroundPeripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare life-threatening condition of unclear etiology. Data on the use of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to characterize PPCM are limited. This study was done to assess the role of CMR imaging for the diagnosis and prognostication of patients with PPCM.MethodsMedical records of a tertiary medical center were screened for PPCM patients with CMR imaging done within the past 5 years (2006-2011). Images were reviewed by 2 expert radiologists (blinded to clinical data) using cine sequences for chamber function and size, T2-weighted images for the determination of edema (T2-ratio), and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequences for myocardial tissue characterization.ResultsTen PPCM patients (aged 28 ± 6 years, 90% African American) had a total of 15 CMR examinations: 4 in the acute phase (within 7 days of diagnosis) and 11 during follow-up (median, 12 months; range, 1-72 months). Left ventricular ejection fraction was decreased in all 4 initial scans. Elevated T2 ratio (> 2) seen in 1 patient decreased on follow-up imaging. LGE was seen in 1 of the 4 acute-phase scans and in 4 of the 11 follow-up phase scans. These 4 patients had multiple readmissions because of heart failure exacerbations and persistently low left ventricular ejection fraction on subsequent echo- cardiograms.ConclusionsLGE seems to be associated with a poor prognosis in the setting of PPCM. CMR imaging seems to have promising practical implications in the diagnosis and prognostication of PPCM patients.