Detection of myocardial fibrosis: Where we stand

Leyi Zhu; Yining Wang; Shihua Zhao; Minjie Lu

doi:10.3389/fcvm.2022.926378

Detection of myocardial fibrosis: Where we stand

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022 Sep 29:9:926378. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.926378. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Leyi Zhu^{1

2

3}, Yining Wang^{1

2}, Shihua Zhao^{1

2}, Minjie Lu^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, China.
² Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
³ School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Imaging (Cultivation), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Myocardial fibrosis, resulting from the disturbance of extracellular matrix homeostasis in response to different insults, is a common and important pathological remodeling process that is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including arrhythmia, heart failure, or even sudden cardiac death. Over the past decades, multiple non-invasive detection methods have been developed. Laboratory biomarkers can aid in both detection and risk stratification by reflecting cellular and even molecular changes in fibrotic processes, yet more evidence that validates their detection accuracy is still warranted. Different non-invasive imaging techniques have been demonstrated to not only detect myocardial fibrosis but also provide information on prognosis and management. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is considered as the gold standard imaging technique to non-invasively identify and quantify myocardial fibrosis with its natural ability for tissue characterization. This review summarizes the current understanding of the non-invasive detection methods of myocardial fibrosis, with the focus on different techniques and clinical applications of CMR.

Keywords: biomarkers; cardiovascular magnetic resonance; heart failure; myocardial fibrosis; non-invasive imaging.

Publication types

Review