Is myocardial stress perfusion MR-imaging suitable to predict the long term clinical outcome after revascularization?

Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Stress Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Known or Suspected Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance

The clinical utility of stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in stable chest pain is still debated, and the low-risk period for adverse cardiovascular (CV) events after a negative test result is unknown.

Objective

To provide contemporary quantitative data synthesis of the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of stress CMR in stable chest pain.

Data Sources

PubMed and Embase databases, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PROSPERO, and the ClinicalTrials.gov registry were searched for potentially relevant articles from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2021.

Study Selection

Selected studies evaluated CMR and reported estimates of diagnostic accuracy and/or raw data of adverse CV events for participants with either positive or negative stress CMR results. Prespecified combinations of keywords related to the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of stress CMR were used. A total of 3144 records were evaluated for title and abstract; of those, 235 articles were included in the full-text assessment of eligibility. After exclusions, 64 studies (74 470 total patients) published from October 29, 2002, through October 19, 2021, were included.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

This systematic review and meta-analysis adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Diagnostic odds ratios (DORs), sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), odds ratio (OR), and annualized event rate (AER) for all-cause death, CV death, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) defined as the composite of myocardial infarction and CV death.

Results

A total of 33 diagnostic studies pooling 7814 individuals and 31 prognostic studies pooling 67 080 individuals (mean [SD] follow-up, 3.5 [2.1] years; range, 0.9-8.8 years; 381 357 person-years) were identified. Stress CMR yielded a DOR of 26.4 (95% CI, 10.6-65.9), a sensitivity of 81% (95% CI, 68%-89%), a specificity of 86% (95% CI, 75%-93%), and an AUROC of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.77-0.89) for the detection of functionally obstructive coronary artery disease. In the subgroup analysis, stress CMR yielded higher diagnostic accuracy in the setting of suspected coronary artery disease (DOR, 53.4; 95% CI, 27.7-103.0) or when using 3-T imaging (DOR, 33.2; 95% CI, 19.9-55.4). The presence of stress-inducible ischemia was associated with higher all-cause mortality (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.69-2.31), CV mortality (OR, 6.40; 95% CI, 4.48-9.14), and MACEs (OR, 5.33; 95% CI, 4.04-7.04). The presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was associated with higher all-cause mortality (OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.99-2.47), CV mortality (OR, 6.03; 95% CI, 2.76-13.13), and increased risk of MACEs (OR, 5.42; 95% CI, 3.42-8.60). After a negative test result, pooled AERs for CV death were less than 1.0%.

Conclusion and Relevance

In this study, stress CMR yielded high diagnostic accuracy and delivered robust prognostication, particularly when 3-T scanners were used. While inducible myocardial ischemia and LGE were associated with higher mortality and risk of MACEs, normal stress CMR results were associated with a lower risk of MACEs for at least 3.5 years.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Tissue Characterization in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is one of the most common causes of congestive heart failure. In patients with ICM, tissue characterization with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) allows for evaluation of myocardial abnormalities in acute and chronic settings. Myocardial edema, microvascular obstruction (MVO), intracardiac thrombus, intramyocardial hemorrhage, and late gadolinium enhancement of the myocardium are easily depicted using standard CMR sequences. In the acute setting, tissue characterization is mainly focused on assessment of ventricular thrombus and MVO, which are associated with poor prognosis. Conversely, in chronic ICM, it is important to depict late gadolinium enhancement and myocardial ischemia using stress perfusion sequences. Overall, with CMR's ability to accurately characterize myocardial tissue in acute and chronic ICM, it represents a valuable diagnostic and prognostic imaging method for treatment planning. In particular, tissue characterization abnormalities in the acute setting can provide information regarding the patients that may develop major adverse cardiac event and show the presence of ventricular thrombus; in the chronic setting, evaluation of viable myocardium can be fundamental for planning myocardial revascularization. In this review, the main findings on tissue characterization are illustrated in acute and chronic settings using qualitative and quantitative tissue characterization.

Clinical use of cardiac PET/MRI: current state-of-the-art and potential future applications

Combined PET/MRI is a novel imaging method integrating the advances of functional and morphological MR imaging with PET applications that include assessment of myocardial viability, perfusion, metabolism of inflammatory tissue and tumors, as well as amyloid deposition imaging. As such, PET/MRI is a promising tool to detect and characterize ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. To date, the greatest benefit may be expected for diagnostic evaluation of systemic diseases and cardiac masses that remain unclear in cardiac MRI, as well as for clinical and scientific studies in the setting of ischemic cardiomyopathies. Diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of cardiac sarcoidosis has the potential of a possible 'killer-application' for combined cardiac PET/MRI. In this article, we review the current evidence and discuss current and potential future applications of cardiac PET/MRI.

Cardiac MRI left ventricular global function index and quantitative late gadolinium enhancement in unrecognized myocardial infarction

PURPOSE

To compare left ventricular global function index (LVGFI) and quantitative late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in patients with unrecognized myocardial infarction (UMI), recognized myocardial infarction (RMI) and without myocardial infarction (MI).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Under waiver of the Institutional Review Board 235 patients (age 63.5±10.5years, 57 female) were retrospectively evaluated. All patients had undergone cardiac MRI at 1.5T for symptoms of CAD. 67 patients (29%) had suffered a known RMI before. Functional imaging and full-intensity late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging were evaluated for LVGFI and quantitative LGE mass.

RESULTS

Of 168 patients without history of RMI, 48 patients (29%) had UMI, 120 patients had no MI. LVGFI was lower in RMI patients (34±8% [range 16;52]), and UMI patients (35±8% [range 10;51]), compared to patients with no MI (38±7% [range 16;55]) respectively and similar between RMI and UMI patients. RMI patients had full-intensity LGE in 11±6% of left ventricular myocardial mass (LVMM). UMI patients had LGE in 9±5% of LVMM. RMI patients had significantly more LGE than UMI patients (p=0.0096).

CONCLUSION

LGE quantification is effective to assess infarction scar size in RMI and UMI patients. LVGFI provides information on cardiac function and morphology but does not allow for a reliable differentiation between patients with and without history of MI, due small differences and wide overlap of LVGFI values for all three patient groups. This may be a reason why LVGFI is not applied in clinical routine.

Comparison of rest and adenosine stress quantitative and semi-quantitative myocardial perfusion using magnetic resonance in patients with ischemic heart disease

The aim was to compare absolute quantified myocardial perfusion (MP) to semi-quantitative measurements of MP using MRI for detection of ischemia. Twenty-nine patients underwent rest and stress MP imaging obtained by 1.5T MRI and analyzed using own developed software and by commercial available software. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that absolute quantitative data correlated stronger to maxSI (rest: r=0.296, p=.193; stress: r=0.583, p=0.011; myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR): r=0.789, p<0.001; and Δ myocardial blood flow (Δ MBF: r=0.683, p=0.004) than to upslope (rest: r=0.420, p=0.058; stress: r=0.096, p=0.704; MPR: r=0.682, p=0.004; and Δ MBF: r=0.055, p=0.804). Absolute quantified MP was able to distinguish between ischemic and non-ischemic territories at rest (left anterior descending artery (LAD): 103.1±11.3mL/100g/min vs. 206.3±98.5mL/100g/min; p=0.001, right coronary artery (RCA): 124.1±45.2mL/100g/min vs. 241.3±81.7mL/100g/min; p<0.001, and left circumflex artery (LCX): 132.8±53.8mL/100g/min vs. 181.2±56.6mL/100g/min; p=0.060) and at stress (LAD: 148.1±47.2mL/100g/min vs. 296.6±111.6mL/100g/min; p=0.012, RCA: 173.4±63.7mL/100g/min vs. 290.2±100.6mL/100g/min; p=0.008, and LCX: 206.6±105.1mL/100g/min vs. 273.8±78.0mL/100g/min; p=0.186). The correlation between global maxSI and positron emission tomography data was non-significant at rest and borderline significant at stress (r=0.265, p=0.382 and r=0.601, p=0.050, respectively). Quantified MP may be useful in patients for detection of ischemia.

Quantification of myocardial perfusion using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging correlates significantly to rubidium-82 positron emission tomography in patients with severe coronary artery disease: a preliminary study

INTRODUCTION

Aim was to compare absolute myocardial perfusion using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) based on Tikhonov's procedure of deconvolution and rubidium-82 positron emission tomography (Rb-82 PET).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fourteen patients with coronary artery stenosis underwent rest and adenosine stress imaging by 1.5-Tesla MR Scanner and a mCT/PET 64-slice Scanner. CMRI were analyzed based on Tikhonov's procedure of deconvolution without specifying an explicit compartment model using our own software. PET images were analyzed using standard clinical software. CMRI and PET data was compared with Spearman's rho and Bland-Altman analysis.

RESULTS

CMRI results were strongly and significantly correlated with PET results for the absolute global myocardial perfusion differences (r=0.805, p=0.001) and for global myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) (r=0.886, p<0.001). At vessel territorial level, CMRI results were also significantly correlated with absolute PET myocardial perfusion differences (r=0.737, p<0.001) and MPR (r=0.818, p<0.001). Each vessel territory had similar strong correlation for absolute myocardial perfusion differences (right coronary artery (RCA): r=0.787, p=0.001; left anterior descending artery (LAD): r=0.796, p=0.001; left circumflex artery (LCX): r=0.880, p<0.001) and for MPR (RCA: r=0.895, p<0.001; LAD: r=0.886, p<0.001; LCX: r=0.886, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

On a global and vessel territorial basis, CMRI-measured absolute myocardial perfusion differences and MPR were strongly and significantly correlated with the Rb-82 PET findings.