The Interplay between Myocardial Fibrosis, Strain Imaging and Collagen Biomarkers in Adults with Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot
Konstantina Karali,
Kali Makedou,
Alexandros Kallifatidis,
Matthaios Didagelos,
George Giannakoulas,
Constantinos H. Davos,
Theodoros D. Karamitsos,
Antonios Ziakas,
Haralambos Karvounis,
Stavros Hadjimiltiades
Affiliations
Konstantina Karali
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kyriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Kali Makedou
Laboratory of Biochemistry, AHEPA General Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kyriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Alexandros Kallifatidis
Department of Radiology, Cardiovascular Imaging Unit, St. Luke’s Hospital, 55236 Thessaloniki, Greece
Matthaios Didagelos
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kyriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
George Giannakoulas
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kyriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Constantinos H. Davos
Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Theodoros D. Karamitsos
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kyriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Antonios Ziakas
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kyriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Haralambos Karvounis
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kyriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Stavros Hadjimiltiades
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kyriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Background: We sought to assess the interplay between right ventricle (RV) fibrosis, biventricular dysfunction based on global longitudinal strain (GLS) analysis, and biomarkers such as Galectin-3 (Gal-3), procollagen type III (PCIII), and NTproBNP. Methods: We studied 35 adult patients with rToF. All patients underwent a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scan including feature tracking for deformation imaging. Blood biomarkers were measured. Results: LGE RV was detected in all patients, mainly at surgical sites. Patients with the highest RV LGE scoring had greater RV dilatation and dysfunction whereas left ventricular (LV) function was preserved. LV GLS correlated with RV total fibrosis score (p = 0.007). A LV GLS value of −15.9% predicted LGE RV score > 8 (AUC 0.754 (p = 0.02)). Neither RV GLS nor biomarker levels were correlated with the extent of RV fibrosis. A cut-off value for NTproBNP of 145.25 pg/mL predicted LGE RV score > 8 points (AUC 0.729, (p = 0.03)). A cut-off value for Gal-3 of 7.42 ng/mL predicted PR Fraction > 20% [AUC 0.704, (p = 0.05)]. Conclusions: A significant extent of RV fibrosis was mainly detected at surgical sites of RV, affecting RV performance. CMR-FT reveals subtle LV dysfunction in rToF patients, due to decreased performance of the fibrotic RV. Impaired LV function and elevated NTproBNP in rToF reflect a dysfunctional fibrotic RV.
