Left ventricle remodeling in patients with β-thalassemia major. An emerging differential diagnosis with left ventricle noncompaction disease

Clin Imaging. 2017 Sep-Oct:45:58-64. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2017.05.010. Epub 2017 May 17.

Abstract

To differentiate left ventricle non-compaction (LVNC) from hypertrabeculated myocardium due to LV remodeling in β-thalassemia major (β-TM) patients, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images of 38 β-TM patients and 10 LVNC patients were compared using 3 diagnostic criteria: ratio of diastolic segmental non-compacted to compacted myocardium (NC/C ratio) >2.5, percentage of non-compacted LV mass (NC-LVM%) >20% and >25% of global LV mass. Specificity of NC/C ratio of >2.5 was the lowest (58%) and of NC-LVM% of >25% the highest (93%). A NC-LVM% >20% showed sensitivity 100% and specificity 87%. Disease differentiation depends on the selected CMR criterion and is better with NC-LVM%.

Keywords: Cardiomyopathy; Heart failure; Left ventricle non compaction; Magnetic resonance imaging; β-thalassemia.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Heart Ventricles / diagnostic imaging
  • Heart Ventricles / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Isolated Noncompaction of the Ventricular Myocardium / diagnosis*
  • Isolated Noncompaction of the Ventricular Myocardium / physiopathology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Ventricular Function, Left / physiology*
  • Ventricular Remodeling*
  • Young Adult
  • beta-Thalassemia / diagnosis*
  • beta-Thalassemia / physiopathology