Magnetic resonance imaging determination of cardiac prognosis.
BACKGROUND
Regional assessments of left ventricular (LV) wall motion obtained during MRI cardiac stress tests can be used to identify myocardial injury and ischemia, but the utility of MRI stress test results for the assessment of cardiac prognosis is not known.


RESULTS
Two hundred seventy-nine patients referred (because of poor LV endocardial visualization with echocardiography) for dobutamine/atropine MRI for the detection of inducible ischemia were followed for an average of 20 months. After MRI stress testing, the occurrence of myocardial infarction, cardiac death, death attributable to any cause, coronary arterial revascularization, and unstable angina or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization was determined. In a multivariate analysis, the presence of inducible ischemia (hazard ratio 3.3, CI 1.1 to 9.7) or an LV ejection fraction <40% (hazard ratio 4.2, CI 1.3 to 13.9) was associated with future MI or cardiac death independent of the presence of risk factors for coronary arteriosclerosis.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with poor echocardiograms, the results of cardiac MRI stress tests can be used to forecast myocardial infarction or cardiac death.
Hundley
W Gregory
WG
Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology Section), Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1045, USA. ghundley@wfubmc.edu
Morgan
Timothy M
TM
Neagle
Christina M
CM
Hamilton
Craig A
CA
Rerkpattanapipat
Pairoj
P
Link
Kerry M
KM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001285:Atropine; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004280:Dobutamine; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
D004280:Dobutamine; D001285:Atropine