title: Diagnostic and prognostic value of MRI T2 quantification in heart transplant patients.
abstract: This study was designed retrospectively to assess the value of myocardial T2 to detect or predict ongoing acute heart rejection, in heart transplant patients, with a 1.5-T MRI magnet. One hundred and ninety-six myocardial T2 quantifications were performed on sixty consecutive heart transplant patients during routine follow-up. T2 values were assessed (i) with regard to the results of concomitant biopsies and (ii) with a Cox multivariate model for the prediction of subsequent rejections, defined by a ≥ grade 2 at biopsy or highly suspected in the absence of biopsy (>10% drop in ejection fraction with subsequent reversibility under treatment). T2 values were proposed as main covariate, after logit transformation and adjustment for other confounding parameters such as delay since graft surgery and delay before biopsy. T2 values were strongly linked (i) to the presence of rejection on concomitant biopsy (P < 0.0001) and (ii) to the risk of subsequent rejection on Cox multivariate model (P < 0.001). T2 values above 60 ms were associated with relative risk of rejection higher than 2.0 and rapidly increasing. In conclusion, myocardial T2 yields a high diagnostic and prognostic value for graft rejection in heart transplant patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, CHU Nancy, Nancy, France; IADI, INSERM U947, Nancy, France; University of Lorraine, Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonnemains
authors.forename: Thibaut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Villemin
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Escanye
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hossu
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Odille
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vanhuyse
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Felblinger
authors.forename: Pierre-Yves
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Marie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis
keywords: MRI; T2 quantification; heart graft rejection; prognostic