title: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance characterization of left ventricular non-compaction provides independent prognostic information in patients with incident heart failure or suspected cardiomyopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With recent advances in imaging methods, detection of LVNC is increasingly common. Concomitantly, the prognostic importance of LVNC is less clear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We followed 42 patients (63% male, age 44 ± 15 years) with incident heart failure or suspected cardiomyopathy, in whom cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) yielded a diagnosis of LVNC, for 27 ± 16 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LVNC was preferentially distributed among posterolateral segments, with apical predominance. Patients with maximum non-compacted-to-compacted thickness ratio (NC:C) < 3 improved by 0.9 ± 0.7 NYHA Class, compared to 0.3 ± 0.8 for patients with NC:C > 3 (p = 0.001). In 29 patients with baseline LVEF < 0.40, there was an inverse correlation between NC:C ratio, and the change in LVEF during follow-up. Tachyarrhythmias were observed in 42% of patients with LGE, and in 0% of patients without LGE (p = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, arrhythmia incidence was significantly higher in patients with LGE, even when adjusted for LVEF and RVEF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CMR assessments of myocardial morphology provide important prognostic information for patients with LVNC who present with incident heart failure or suspected cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, Suite Smith 1901, 6550 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. gashrith@houstonmethodist.org.
authors.forename: Guha
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ashrith
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA. Gupta-guptad@mskcc.org.
authors.forename: Dipti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. hanmerjz@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Janel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanmer
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA. Weiss-robert-weiss@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D056830:Isolated Noncompaction of the Ventricular Myocardium / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right