title: Serum levels of NT-proBNP as surrogate for cardiac amyloid burden: new evidence from gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with amyloidosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prognostic value of NT-proBNP has been recognized in patients with amyloidosis complicated by cardiac involvement. We aimed to use contrast enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to identify functional and structural alterations related to levels of NT-proBNP better to understand the mechanisms of its release in cardiac amyloidosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CMR was performed on a 1.5-T scanner in 34 patients with biopsy proven amyloid light chain (AL; n = 27) or hereditary transthyretin related (TTR; n = 7) amyloidosis. NT-proBNP was higher in patients with (n = 25) compared to patients without cardiac involvement (n = 9) (2931 (IQR: 972-8629; min-max: 25-27,277) pg/ml vs. 177 (IQR: 71-1431; min-max: 22-7935) pg/ml, p = 0.008). ROC analysis identified a NT-proBNP of <2426.5 pg/ml as optimal discriminator for event free survival (682 +/- 65 days). NT-proBNP did not correlate with LV- ejection fraction, end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes or stroke volume. There was a moderate correlation between NT-proBNP and LV-mass (R = 0.52, p = 0.003) and extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE; R = 0.41, p = 0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms the prognostic value of NT-proBNP in patients with AL and TTR amyloidosis and provides the novel finding that NT-proBNP correlates with surrogates of myocardial amyloid burden such as LV-mass and LGE, supporting the concept of NT-proBNP as a biomarker reflecting the severity of cardiac amyloid infiltration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine III, Division of Cardiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. stephanie.lehrke@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lehrke
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steen
authors.forename: Arnt V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kristen
authors.forename: Constanze
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Merten
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lossnitzer
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Dengler
authors.forename: Hugo A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Katus
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giannitsis
mesh_terms: D000682:Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D003287:Contrast Media; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D005682:Gadolinium