Towards understanding the phenotypes of myocardial involvement in the presence of self-limiting and sustained systemic inflammation: a magnetic resonance imaging study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the patterns of myocardial involvement in the presence of self-limiting and sustained systemic inflammation, using MRI.


METHODS
Ninety-four subjects, with a clinical diagnosis of myocarditis (n = 36), RA (n = 24) and apparently healthy subjects (n = 34, control group), underwent standardized cardiac MRI protocol for the assessment of global and regional morphology and systolic function using balanced steady-state free precession sequences, T2-weighted images and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) studies.


RESULTS
The three groups were well matched for age, gender and cardiovascular risk factors. The RA group showed markedly increased end-diastolic volumes and reduced ejection fraction (P < 0.05). Antero/inferolateral wall thickness was greater in the myocarditis group and reduced in RA, associated with reduced radial and longitudinal thickening (P < 0.01), and markedly raised T2-oedema ratio and global LGE scores (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results may signify the phenotypic features of myocardial plasticity and deformation in response to self-limiting and sustained inflammatory injury.
Puntmann
Valentina O
VO
Department of Experimental Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK. v.puntmann@imperial.ac.uk
Taylor
Peter C
PC
Barr
Andrew
A
Schnackenburg
Bernhard
B
Jahnke
Cosima
C
Paetsch
Ingo
I
D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010641:Phenotype; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology
D015415:Biomarkers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D002097:C-Reactive Protein