Adipose replacement and wall motion abnormalities in right ventricle arrhythmias : evaluation by MR imaging. Retrospective evaluation on 124 patients

• Published in: International journal of cardiac imaging Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 105 - 115
• Main Authors: MOLINARI, G, SARDANELLI, F, ZANDRINO, F, PARODI, R. C, BERTERO, G, RICHIARDI, E, DI DONNA, P, GAITA, F, MASPERONE, M. A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Kluwer 01.04.2000
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia - diagnosis; Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia - physiopathology; Biological and medical sciences; Bundle-Branch Block - diagnosis; Bundle-Branch Block - physiopathology; Cardiac dysrhythmias; Cardiology. Vascular system; Case-Control Studies; Electrocardiography - methods; Female; Heart; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Reference Values; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; Statistics, Nonparametric; Tachycardia, Ventricular - diagnosis; Tachycardia, Ventricular - physiopathology; Human; Adipose tissue; Arrhythmia; Cardiomyopathy; Heart disease; Right ventricle; Cardiovascular disease; Medical imagery; Diagnosis; Myocardial disease; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging
• ISSN: 0167-9899; 1573-0743
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1006304626233

We reevaluated the magnetic resonance (MR) examinations of 38 healthy volunteers (control group, CG) and of 124 patients with RV arrhythmia with left bundle branch block (LBBB) morphology: 45 with episodes of RV sustained tachycardia and of polymorphic RV premature beats (RVST-PPB group); 36 with only RV outflow tract sustained or not sustained tachycardia (RVOTT group); 43 with RV monomorphic premature beats (RVMPB group). All the examinations were reevaluated in a blinded fashion for detecting myocardial adipose replacement (AR) and wall bulges or aneurysms. In RVST-PPB patients, no AR was observed in 9%; 1 RV region involvement, 0%; 2 regions, 4%; > or = 3 regions, 87%; left ventricle (LV), 15%. RVOTT patients: 28%, 53%, 14%, 5%, and 0% [corrected], respectively. RVMPB patients: 33%, 46%, 19%, 2%, and 0% [corrected], respectively. In CG, AR was observed in 11% (in RV outflow tract), RV bulges were detected in 75% [corrected] of RVST-PPB, 39% of RVOTT, and 14% of RVMPB patients, none of the CG; RV aneurysms in 33% of RVST-PPB patients, none of RVOTT patients, RVMBP patients, and CG. A significant difference among groups for RV and LV AR as well as RV bulges and aneurysms was found (p < 0.0001). In the direct comparisons, significant differences were found for: disease duration (RVST-PPB vs. RVMPB, p = 0.0396); RV AR (all the patients groups vs. CG, RVST-PPB vs. RVOTT or RVMPB, p < 0.0001); RV aneurysms (RVST-PPB vs. CG, RVST-PPB vs. RVOTT or RVMPB, p < 0.0002); bulges (all comparisons, p < 0.0174). AR is confirmed as a structural substrate in RV arrhythmias. Number and extension of MR abnormalities are correlated to different degrees of RV arrhythmias.