title: Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.
abstract: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an established therapy for heart failure patients who remain symptomatic despite optimal medical therapy, have reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (<35%) and wide QRS duration (>120 ms), preferably with left bundle branch block morphology. The response to CRT depends on the cardiac substrate: presence of correctable left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony, presence of myocardial fibrosis (scar) and position of the left ventricular pacing lead. Patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy have shown higher response rates to CRT compared with patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Differences in myocardial substrate may partly explain this disparity. Multimodality imaging plays an important role to assess the cardiac substrate and the pathophysiological determinants of response to CRT.
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Edmonton (Canada) and Heart Lung Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (The Netherlands).
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shanks
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Edmonton (Canada) and Heart Lung Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (The Netherlands).
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Edmonton (Canada) and Heart Lung Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (The Netherlands).
authors.forename: Jeroen J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bax
keywords: Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy; Echocardiography; Heart Failure; Magnetic Resonance Imaging