New Imaging Parameters to Predict Sudden Cardiac Death in Chagas Disease

• Published in: Tropical medicine and infectious disease Vol. 5; no. 2; p. 74
• Main Authors: Moll-Bernardes, Renata J, Rosado-de-Castro, Paulo Henrique, Camargo, Gabriel Cordeiro, Mendes, Fernanda Souza Nogueira Sardinha, Brito, Adriana S X, Sousa, Andréa Silvestre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 08.05.2020; MDPI AG
• Subjects: cardiomyopathy; Chagas disease; inflammation; myocardial fibrosis; myocardial sympathetic denervation; Review; sudden death; sudden death; inflammation; radionuclide imaging; Chagas disease; PET-CT; myocardial sympathetic denervation; SPECT-CT; cardiomyopathy; cardiac magnetic resonance; myocardial fibrosis
• ISSN: 2414-6366; 2414-6366
• DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed5020074

Chronic Chagas' cardiomyopathy is the most severe and frequent manifestation of Chagas disease, and has a high social and economic burden. New imaging modalities, such as strain echocardiography, nuclear medicine, computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, may detect the presence of myocardial fibrosis, inflammation or sympathetic denervation, three conditions associated with risk of sudden death, providing additional diagnostic and/or prognostic information. Unfortunately, despite its high mortality, there is no clear recommendation for early cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in patients with Chagas heart disease in the current guidelines. Ideally, the risk of sudden cardiac death may be evaluated in earlier stages of the disease using new image methods to allow the implementation of primary preventive strategies.