CMR detects decreased myocardial deformation in asymptomatic patients at risk for heart failure

Djawid Hashemi; Patrick Doeblin; Moritz Blum; Karl Jakob Weiss; Matthias Schneider; Grigorios Korosoglou; Rebecca Elisabeth Beyer; Burkert Pieske; Frank Edelmann; Sebastian Kelle

doi:10.3389/fcvm.2022.1091768

CMR detects decreased myocardial deformation in asymptomatic patients at risk for heart failure

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023 Jan 5:9:1091768. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.1091768. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Djawid Hashemi^{1

2

3

4}, Patrick Doeblin^{2

3}, Moritz Blum⁵, Karl Jakob Weiss^{2

3}, Matthias Schneider^{1

2}, Grigorios Korosoglou^{6

7}, Rebecca Elisabeth Beyer^{1

2

3}, Burkert Pieske^{1

2

3}, Frank Edelmann^{1

3}, Sebastian Kelle^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Virchow Clinic, Berlin, Germany.
² Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, German Heart Institute Berlin (DHZB), Berlin, Germany.
³ DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ BIH Charité Digital Clinician Scientist Program, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy, Berlin, Germany.
⁵ Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.
⁶ Department of Cardiology, Vascular Medicine and Pneumology, Gesundheitszentrum Rhein-Neckar Hospital Weinheim, Weinheim, Germany.
⁷ Cardiac Imaging Center Weinheim, Hector Foundation, Weinheim, Germany.

Abstract

Aims: The main management strategy of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is prevention since HFpEF is associated with many cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, especially since HFpEF is linked to a high risk for both mortality and recurrent heart failure (HF) hospitalizations. Therefore, there is a need for new tools to identify patients with a high risk profile early. Regional strain assessment by CMR seems to be superior in describing deformation impairment in HF. The MyoHealth score is a promising tool to identify cardiac changes early.

Methods and results: Heart failure patients irrespective of LVEF and asymptomatic controls were recruited, and CMR based measures were obtained. For this analysis the asymptomatic control group (n = 19) was divided into asymptomatic subjects without CV co-morbidities or evidence of cardiac abnormalities and (n = 12) and asymptomatic subjects with CV co-morbidities or evidence of cardiac abnormalities (n = 7) as well as patients with HFpEF (n = 19). We performed CMR scans at rest and during a stress test using isometric handgrip exercise (HG). Assessing the MyoHealth score at rest revealed preserved regional strain in 85 ± 9% of LV segments in controls, 73 ± 11% in at Risk subjects and 73 ± 8% in HFpEF patients. During stress the MyoHealth score was 84 ± 7% in controls, 83 ± 7 in at risk subjects and 74 ± 11 in HFpEF patients.

Conclusion: In summary, we show for the first time that asymptomatic subjects with increased CV risk present with HFpEF like impaired myocardial deformation at rest, while they show results like controls under HG stress. The potential of preventive treatment in this group of patients merits further investigation in future.

Clinical trial registration: [https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00015615], identifier [DRKS00015615].

Keywords: asymptomatic; cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging; handgrip exercise; heart failure; myocardial deformation; risk; strain.