Background: BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) MRI can detect regional condition of myocardial oxygen supply and demand by means of paramagnetic properties.
Purpose: Noninvasive assessment of myocardial oxygenation by BOLD MRI in hypertensive patients with hypertension (HTN) left ventricular myocardial hypertrophy (LVMH) and HTN non-LVMH and its correlation with myocardial mechanics were performed.
Study type: Prospective.
Population: Twenty patients with HTN LVMH, 21 patients with HTN non-LVMH, and 23 normotensive controls were enrolled.
Field strength/sequence: Cine imaging, T2* and T1 mapping sequences were achieved at 3.0T.
Assessment: Dedicated T1 mapping, T2*, and cine imaging analysis were performed by two radiologists using cvi42.
Statistical tests: One-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, Bland-Altman analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient, Spearman's rank correlation.
Results: T2* values of HTN LVMH group were significantly lower versus the controls (23.78 ± 3.09 versus 30.77 ± 2.71; P < 0.001) and HTN non-LVMH group (23.78 ± 3.09 versus 28.64 ± 4.23; P < 0.001). Left ventricular peak circumferential strain were reduced in HTN LVMH patients compared with other two groups (-11.32 [-15.64, -10.3], -16.78 [-19.35, -15.34], and -19.73 [-20.57, -18.73]; P < 0.05); and longitudinal strain of HTN LVMH patients were lower than other two groups (-11.31 ± 2.91, -15.1 ± 3.06, and -18.85 ± 1.85; P < 0.05); radial strain of HTN LVMH patients were also lower than other two groups (25.03 ± 16, 40.95 ± 17.5 and 47.9 ± 10.23; P < 0.05). Extracellular volume correlated with peak circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strain (spearman rho = 0.6, 0.64, and -0.69; P < 0.05), respectively; T2* negatively correlated with peak circumferential and longitudinal strain (spearman rho = -0.43 and -0.49; P < 0.05), respectively. Patients with lower T2* values had significant decreases in myocardial mechanics (P < 0.05).
Data conclusion: HTN LVMH patients have both impaired myocardial mechanics and decreased T2* values compared with HTN non-LVMH and normotensive groups. BOLD MRI could provide a feasible assessment modality for detecting altered T2* due to the change of de-oxygenated hemoglobin and hence to the change of signal intensity in oxygenation-sensitive images.
Level of evidence: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1297-1306.
Keywords: blood oxygen level dependent; cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; hypertensive heart disease; myocardial strain.
© 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.