Prevalence and clinical significance of extracardiac findings in cardiovascular magnetic resonance

Objective: In cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), incidental pathological findings are frequently found outside the investigated cardiovascular system. Some of these findings might have clinical implications. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of incidental extracardiac findings (ECF) in CMR and their clinical significance. Methods: A total of 4165 CMR reports from 2009-2012 were retrospectively reviewed for ECF. Two hundred-twenty reports with ECF were found. For each case, we obtained information on sex, age of the patient, reported ECF and radiologist recommendation. Follow-up data were analyzed by reviewing available electronic medical records. ECF was considered clinically significant if there was an associated diagnosis, additional treatment or further investigations in the clinical follow-up data. Results: In total, 356 ECF were recorded in 220 (5.3%) CMR reports. Sixty (23.7%) of the 253 ECF with follow-up data available were clinically significant. The most prevalent ECF were pleural effusions (n=54), kidney cysts (n=54), diffuse lung parenchyma changes (n=33) and liver cysts (n=29). Adrenal pathology (n=3, 100% significant), renal masses (n=3, 100%) and pulmonary masses (n=5, 62.5%) were the most clinically significant ECF. Although prevalence of these ECF was low, they were significant particularly frequently. When radiologist recommendations for further investigation were present in the report, the frequency of clinically significant ECF was higher compared to reports with no further investigation recommended (p<0.001). Conclusion: In this study, ECF in CMR were reported not very commonly (5.3%). A substantial part of ECF was clinically significant, changing patient diagnosis or management, with an overall prevalence of 1.3%

Isolated Nasal Amyloidosis: A Case Report

Amyloidosis is a rare condition characterized by the deposition of abnormal protein filaments into the extracellular tissue. Only 16 cases of true primary idiopathic amyloidosis local- ized in the nose and the paranasal sinuses have previously been reported. We present a case of local- ized amyloidosis involving the sinonasal cavities and the nose in a 53-year-old woman. Our patient was operated on as a typical case of chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps, but after 2 years, the patient came back with severe symptoms of nasal obstruction and pain in the frontal and maxillary regions with proptosis of both eyes. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed sinonasal-intraorbital masses. Primary amyloidosis (AL type) was confirmed by tissue biopsy. A systemic workup for additional amyloid deposits revealed no evidence of other diseases. Extended surgery produced a symptomatic improvement

Value of scar imaging and inotropic reserve combination for the prediction of segmental and global left ventricular functional recovery after revascularisation

Abstract Background This study sought to prospectively and directly compare three cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) viability parameters: inotropic reserve (IR) during low-dose dobutamine (LDD) administration, late gadolinium enhancement transmurality (LGE) and thickness of the non-contrast-enhanced myocardial rim surrounding the scar (RIM). These parameters were examined to evaluate their value as predictors of segmental left ventricular (LV) functional recovery in patients with LV systolic dysfunction undergoing surgical or percutaneous revascularisation. The second goal of the study was to determine the optimal LDD-CMR- and LGE-CMR-based predictor of significant (≥ 5%) LVEF improvement 6 months after revascularisation. Methods In 46 patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) (63 ± 10 years of age, LVEF 35 ± 8%), wall motion and the above mentioned CMR parameters were evaluated before revascularisation. Wall motion and LGE were repeatedly assessed 6 months after revascularisation. Logistic regression analysis models were created using 333 dysfunctional segments at rest. Results An LGE threshold value of 50% (LGE50) and a RIM threshold value of 4 mm (RIM4) produced the best sensitivities and specificities for predicting segmental recovery. IR was superior to LGE50 for predicting segmental recovery. When the areas under the ROC curves is compared, the combined viability prediction model (LGE50 + IR) was significantly superior to IR alone in all analysed sets of segments, except the segments with an LGE from 26% to 75% (p = 0.08). The RIM4 model was not superior to the LGE50 model. A myocardial segment was considered viable if it had no LGE or had any LGE and produced IR during LDD stimulation. ROC analysis demonstrated that ≥ 50% of viable segments from all dysfunctional and revascularised segments in a patient predict significant improvement in LVEF with a 69% sensitivity and 70% specificity (AUC 0.7, p = 0.05). The cut-off of ≥ 3 viable segments was a less useful predictor of significant global LV recovery. Conclusions LDD-CMR is superior to LGE-CMR as a predictor of segmental recovery. The advantage is greatest in the segments with an LGE from 26% to 75%. The RIM cut-off value of 4 mm had no superiority over the LGE cut-off value of 50% in predicting the segmental recovery. Patients with ≥ 50% of viable segments from all dysfunctional and revascularised had a tendency to improve LVEF by ≥ 5% after revascularisation.</p