Left ventricular wall thickness in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a comparison between cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2016 Jun;32(6):945-54. doi: 10.1007/s10554-016-0858-4. Epub 2016 Feb 19.

Abstract

We assessed whether cardiac MRI (CMR) and echocardiography (echo) have significant differences measuring left ventricular (LV) wall thickness (WT) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) as performed in the clinical routine. Retrospectively identified, clinically diagnosed HCM patients with interventricular-septal (IVS) pattern hypertrophy who underwent CMR and echo within the same day were included. Left Ventricular WT was measured by CMR in two planes and compared to both echo and contrast echo (cecho). 72 subjects, mean age 50.7 ± 16.2 years, 68 % males. Interventricular septal WT by echo and CMR planes showed good to excellent correlation. However, measurements of the postero-lateral wall showed poor correlation. Bland-Altman plots showed greater maximal IVS WT by echo compared to CMR measurement [SAX = 1.7 mm (-5.8, 9.3); LVOT = 1.1 mm (-5.6, 7.8)]. Differences were smaller between cecho and CMR [SAX = 0.8 mm (-9.2, 10.8); LVOT = -0.2 mm (-10.0, 9.6)]. Severity of WT by quartiles showed greater differences between echo and SAX CMR WT compared to cecho. Echocardiography typically measures greater WT than CMR, with the largest differences in moderate to severe hypertrophy. Contrast echocardiography more closely approximates CMR measurements of WT. These findings have potential clinical implications for risk stratification of subjects with HCM.

Keywords: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; Echocardiography; Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; Inter-study variability; Wall thickness.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / complications*
  • Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / diagnosis
  • Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / physiopathology
  • Echocardiography*
  • Female
  • Heart Ventricles / diagnostic imaging*
  • Heart Ventricles / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / diagnostic imaging*
  • Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / etiology
  • Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / physiopathology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Ventricular Function, Left*
  • Ventricular Remodeling*
  • Young Adult