title: Myocardial delayed enhancement by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with muscular dystrophy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to analyze whether cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) can detect and quantify myocardial damage in the early stages of cardiomyopathy in muscular dystrophies (MD).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease that involves skeletal and cardiac tissues of humans. Cardiomyopathy is common, and death secondary to cardiac or respiratory diseases occurs early in life. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance is a reliable method for assessing global and regional cardiac function, allowing also for the detection of myocardial fibrosis (MF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten patients with Duchenne or Becker dystrophies were studied by CMR. Physical examination, Chagas disease serological tests, electrocardiogram, chest radiograph, total creatine kinase, and Doppler echocardiogram were also obtained in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with MF had a lower ejection fraction than those without. Myocardial fibrosis (midwall and/or subepicardial) was observed in 7 of the 10 patients, and the lateral wall was the most commonly involved segment. There was moderate correlation between segmental MF and dysfunction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiovascular magnetic resonance can identify MF and may be useful for detecting the early stages of cardiomyopathy in MD. Future work will be needed to evaluate whether CMR can influence cardiomyopathy and outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Axial Centro de Imagem, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marly Conceição
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Zilda Maria Alves
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Meira
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gurgel Giannetti
authors.forename: Marcelo Moreira
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Alysson Félix Oliveira
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Márcia de Melo
authors.initials: Mde M
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Geraldo Moll
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Starling Filho
authors.forename: Rogério de Aguiar
authors.initials: Rde A
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Mayana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zatz
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Rochitte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right
chemical_list: D003402:Creatine Kinase