Cardiac MRI in pulmonary artery hypertension: correlations between morphological and functional parameters and invasive measurements.
OBJECTIVE
To compare cardiac MRI with right heart catheterisation in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and to evaluate its ability to assess PH severity.


METHODS
Forty patients were included. MRI included cine and phase-contrast sequences, study of ventricular function, cardiac cavity areas and ratios, position of the interventricular septum (IVS) in systole and diastole, and flow measurements. We defined four groups according to the severity of PH and three groups according to IVS position: A, normal position; B, abnormal in diastole; C, abnormal in diastole and systole.


RESULTS
IVS position was correlated with pulmonary artery pressures and PVR (pulmonary vascular resistance). Median pulmonary artery pressures and resistance were significantly higher in patients with an abnormal septal position compared with those with a normal position. Correlations were good between the right ventricular ejection fraction and PVR, right ventricular end-systolic volume and PAP, percentage of right ventricular area change and PVR, and diastolic and systolic ventricular area ratio and PVR. These parameters were significantly associated with PH severity.


CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac MRI can help to assess the severity of PH.
Alunni
Jean-Philippe
JP
Department of Radiology, CHU Rangueil, 1 avenue Jean-Poulhès, TSA 50032, 31059, Toulouse Cedex 9, France.
Degano
Bruno
B
Arnaud
Catherine
C
Tétu
Laurent
L
Blot-Soulétie
Nathalie
N
Didier
Alain
A
Otal
Philippe
P
Rousseau
Hervé
H
Chabbert
Valérie
V
D019540:Area Under Curve; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D003971:Diastole; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013599:Systole