Javier F. Guitton-Urday, Departamento de Medicina, Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Nacional Carlos Alberto Seguin Escobedo-Essalud; Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica de Santa María. Arequipa, Perú
Background: The presence of a normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with myocardial infarction does not rule out the possibility of alterations in myocardial systolic function, which can be detected using other methods. Objective: To evaluate biventricular myocardial systolic deformation using cardiac magnetic resonance with feature tracking (CMR-FT) in patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction. Method: Patients diagnosed with myocardial infarction between January 2020 and December 2022 were included, and standard ventricular function measurements were performed. SSFP image sequences were retrospectively analyzed using feature tracking strain, generating global and regional deformation (strain) parameters. Results: The average deformation values in patients with normal LVEF were −0.12 ± 0.03% for left ventricle (LV) global longitudinal strain, 0.28 ± 0.05% for LV global radial strain, and −0.13 ± 0.10% for right ventricle (RV) longitudinal strain. In patients with decreased LVEF, the values were −0.10 ± 0.01% for LV global longitudinal strain, 0.19 ± 0.04% for LV global radial strain, and −0.12 ± 0.05% for RV longitudinal strain. Conclusions: Patients with myocardial infarction exhibit significant changes in myocardial systolic deformation, detected by CMR-FT, regardless of their LVEF. This underscores the importance of using advanced diagnostic methods to assess systolic function in this population.
Keywords: Cardiac magnetic resonance. Features tracking. Strain. Acute myocardial infarction.