• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 2020

This document is the third part of the guidelines for the interpretation and post-processing of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) studies. These consensus recommendations have been developed by a Consensus Committee of the Korean Society of Cardiovascular Imaging (KOSCI) to standardize the requirements for image interpretation and post-processing of CMR. This third part of the recommendations describes tissue characterization modules, including perfusion, late gadolinium enhancement, and T1- and T2 mapping. Additionally, this document provides guidance for visual and quantitative assessment, consisting of "What-to-See," "How-To," and common pitfalls for the analysis of each module. The Consensus Committee hopes that this document will contribute to the standardization of image interpretation and post-processing of CMR studies.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.100-113
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• 2019

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease characterized by noncaseating granulomas. Cardiac involvement is known to have poor prognosis because it can manifest as a serious condition such as the conduction abnormality, heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia, or sudden cardiac death. Although early diagnosis and early treatment is critical to improve patient prognosis, the diagnosis of CS is challenging in most cases. Diagnosis usually relies on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), but its diagnostic yield is low due to the incidence of patchy myocardial involvement. Guidelines for the diagnosis of CS recommend a combination of clinical, electrocardiographic, and imaging findings from various modalities, if EMB cannot confirm the diagnosis. Especially, the role of advanced imaging such as cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and positron emission tomography (PET), has shown to be important not only for the diagnosis, but also for monitoring treatment response and prognostication. CMR can evaluate cardiac function and fibrotic scar with good specificity. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in CMR shows a distinctive enhancement pattern for each disease, which may be useful for differential diagnosis of CS from other similar diseases. Effectively, T1 or T2 mapping techniques can be also used for early recognition of CS. In the meantime, PET can detect and quantify metabolic activity and can be used to monitor treatment response. Recently, the use of a hybrid CMR-PET has introduced to allow identify patients with active CS with excellent co-localization and better diagnostic accuracy than CMR or PET alone. However, CS may show various findings with a wide spectrum, therefore, radiologists should consider the possible differential diagnosis of CS including myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Radiologists should recognize the differences in various diseases that show the characteristics of mimicking CS, and try to get an accurate diagnosis of CS.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2013

Purpose : To evaluate late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) pattern of left ventricular (LV) myocardium and presence or absence of LGE in other regions of the heart on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis. Materials and Methods: From 2009 to 2011, 9 patients who were suspected cardiac amyloidosis underwent CMR. We retrospectively analyzed the presence or absence of LGE and enhancement pattern in LV myocardium, and the presence or absence of LGE in other chambers as well. Also we measured interatrial septal thickness (IST), relative signal intensities of atrial septum and epicardial fat over the left atrial (LA) cavity on delayed enhanced images. MRI parameters in these patients were compared to those of control group of patients with ischemic heart disease by Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results: Of nine patients, LGE were found in 8; subendocardial circumferential pattern in 4 and diffuse pattern in 4. LGE in right ventricle was observed in 7. IST was significantly increased in patients with cardiac amyloidosis (P = 0.02). Ratio of atrial septum to LA cavity and ratio of epicardial fat to LA cavity showed a significant difference (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.0006, respectively). Conclusion: In LGE CMR, subendocardial or diffuse enhancement pattern is a typical finding for patients with cardiac amyloidosis. Atrial septum and epicardial fat show relatively increased signal intensities over LA blood cavity.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.540-549
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• 2024

Objective: This study investigated the feasibility and prognostic relevance of threshold-based quantification of myocardial delayed enhancement (MDE) on CT in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM). Materials and Methods: Forty-three patients with NIDCM (59.3 ± 17.1 years; 21 male) were included in the study and underwent cardiac CT and MRI. MDE was quantified manually and with a threshold-based quantification method using cutoffs of 2, 3, and 4 standard deviations (SDs) on three sets of CT images (100 kVp, 120 kVp, and 70 keV). Interobserver agreement in MDE quantification was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Agreement between CT and MRI was evaluated using the Bland-Altman method and the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). Patients were followed up for the subsequent occurrence of the primary composite outcome, including cardiac death, heart transplantation, heart failure hospitalization, or appropriate use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate event-free survival according to MDE levels. Results: Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was observed in 29 patients (67%, 29/43), and the mean LGE found with the 5-SD threshold was 4.1% ± 3.6%. The 4-SD threshold on 70-keV CT showed excellent interobserver agreement (ICC = 0.810) and the highest concordance with MRI (CCC = 0.803). This method also yielded the smallest bias with the narrowest range of 95% limits of agreement compared to MRI (bias, -0.119%; 95% limits of agreement, -4.216% to 3.978%). During a median follow-up of 1625 days (interquartile range, 712-1430 days), 10 patients (23%, 10/43) experienced the primary composite outcome. Event-free survival significantly differed between risk subgroups divided by the optimal MDE cutoff of 4.3% (log-rank P = 0.005). Conclusion: The 4-SD threshold on 70-keV monochromatic CT yielded results comparable to those of MRI for quantifying MDE as a marker of myocardial fibrosis, which showed prognostic value in patients with NIDCM.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.535-546
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of texture analysis on non-contrast-enhanced T1 maps of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging for the diagnosis of myocardial injury in acute myocardial infarction (MI). Materials and Methods: This study included 68 patients (57 males and 11 females; mean age, 55.7 ± 10.5 years) with acute ST-segment-elevation MI who had undergone 3T CMR after a percutaneous coronary intervention. Forty patients of them also underwent a 6-month follow-up CMR. The CMR protocol included T2-weighted imaging, T1 mapping, rest first-pass perfusion, and late gadolinium enhancement. Radiomics features were extracted from the T1 maps using open-source software. Radiomics signatures were constructed with the selected strongest features to evaluate the myocardial injury severity and predict the recovery of left ventricular (LV) longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility. Results: A total of 1088 segments of the acute CMR images were analyzed; 103 (9.5%) segments showed microvascular obstruction (MVO), and 557 (51.2%) segments showed MI. A total of 640 segments were included in the 6-month follow-up analysis, of which 160 (25.0%) segments showed favorable recovery of LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility. Combined radiomics signature and T1 values resulted in a higher diagnostic performance for MVO compared to T1 values alone (area under the curve [AUC] in the training set; 0.88, 0.72, p = 0.031: AUC in the test set; 0.86, 0.71, p = 0.002). Combined radiomics signature and T1 values also provided a higher predictive value for LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility recovery compared to T1 values (AUC in the training set; 0.76, 0.55, p < 0.001: AUC in the test set; 0.77, 0.60, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The combination of radiomics of non-contrast-enhanced T1 mapping and T1 values could provide higher diagnostic accuracy for MVO. Radiomics also provides incremental value in the prediction of LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility at six months.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.7-16
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• 2014

Purpose : To evaluate the prevalence and pattern of perfusion defect (PD) on first-pass stress perfusion MR imaging in relation with the degree of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and late gadolinium-enhancement (LGE) in patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (APH). Materials and Methods: Cardiac MR imaging with first-pass stress perfusion, cine, and LGE sequence was performed in 26 patients with APH from January 2008 to December 2012. We analyzed a total of 416 segments for LV wall thickness on end-diastolic phase of cine images, and evaluated the number of hypertrophied segment and number of consecutive hypertrophied segment (NCH). We assessed the presence or absence of PD and LGE from all patients. If there was PD, we subdivided the pattern into sporadic (sporadic-PD) or ring (ring-PD). Using univariate logistic method, we obtained the independent predictor for presence of overall PD and ring-PD. Results: PD on stress perfusion MRI was observed in 20 patients (76.9%), 12 of them (60%) showed ring-PD. Maximal LV wall thickness and number of hypertrophied segment were independent predictors for overall PD (all, p < 0.05). NCH with more than 3 segments was an additional independent factor for ring-PD. However, LGE was not statistically related with PD in patients with APH. Conclusion: About three quarters of the patients with APH showed PD, most of them represented as ring-PD. LVH degree or distribution was related with pattern of PD, however, LGE was not related with PD. Therefore, the clinical significance of PD in the patients with APH seems to be different from those with non-APH, and further comparison study between the two groups should be carried out.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.647-659
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• 2020

Objective: The occurrence of intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) and microvascular obstruction (MVO) in myocardial infarction (MI), known as severe ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), has been associated with adverse remodeling. APT102, a soluble human recombinant ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-1, can hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides to attenuate their prothrombotic and proinflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to temporally evaluate the therapeutic effect of APT102 on IRI in rats and to elucidate the evolution of IRI in the acute stage using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). Materials and Methods: Fifty-four rats with MI, induced by ligation of the origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 60 minutes, were randomly divided into the APT102 (n = 27) or control (n = 27) group. Intravenous infusion of APT102 (0.3 mg/kg) or placebo was administered 15 minutes before reperfusion, and then 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and on day 4 after reperfusion. CMRI was performed at 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and on day 5 post-reperfusion using a 7T system and the hearts were collected for histopathological examination. Cardiac function was quantified using cine imaging and IMH/edema using T2 mapping, and infarct/MVO using late gadolinium enhancement. Results: The extent of infarction (p < 0.001), edema (p < 0.001), IMH (p = 0.013), and MVO (p = 0.049) was less severe in the APT102 group than in the control group. IMH size at 48 hours was significantly greater than that at 24 hours, 72 hours, and 5 days after reperfusion (all p < 0.001). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was significantly greater in the APT102 group than in the control group (p = 0.006). There was a negative correlation between LVEF and IMH (r = -0.294, p = 0.010) and a positive correlation between IMH and MVO (r = 0.392, p < 0.001). Conclusion: APT102 can significantly alleviate damage to the ischemic myocardium and microvasculature. IMH size peaked at 48 hours post reperfusion and IMH is a downstream consequence of MVO. IMH may be a potential therapeutic target to prevent adverse remodeling in MI.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.395-405
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• 2023

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate models using radiomics features on a native T1 map from cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to predict left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM). Materials and Methods: Data from 274 patients with NIDCM who underwent CMR imaging with T1 mapping at Severance Hospital between April 2012 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Radiomic features were extracted from the native T1 maps. LVRR was determined using echocardiography performed ≥ 180 days after the CMR. The radiomics score was generated using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression models. Clinical, clinical + late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), clinical + radiomics, and clinical + LGE + radiomics models were built using a logistic regression method to predict LVRR. For internal validation of the result, bootstrap validation with 1000 resampling iterations was performed, and the optimism-corrected area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed. Model performance was compared using AUC with the DeLong test and bootstrap. Results: Among 274 patients, 123 (44.9%) were classified as LVRR-positive and 151 (55.1%) as LVRR-negative. The optimism-corrected AUC of the radiomics model in internal validation with bootstrapping was 0.753 (95% CI, 0.698-0.813). The clinical + radiomics model revealed a higher optimism-corrected AUC than that of the clinical + LGE model (0.794 vs. 0.716; difference, 0.078 [99% CI, 0.003-0.151]). The clinical + LGE + radiomics model significantly improved the prediction of LVRR compared with the clinical + LGE model (optimism-corrected AUC of 0.811 vs. 0.716; difference, 0.095 [99% CI, 0.022-0.139]). Conclusion: The radiomic characteristics extracted from a non-enhanced T1 map may improve the prediction of LVRR and offer added value over traditional LGE in patients with NIDCM. Additional external validation research is required.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.880-889
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the regional amyloid burden and myocardial deformation using T1 mapping and strain values in patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA) according to late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) patterns. Materials and Methods: Forty patients with CA were divided into 2 groups per LGE pattern, and 15 healthy subjects were enrolled. Global and regional native T1 and T2 mapping, extracellular volume (ECV), and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-feature tracking strain values were compared in an intergroup and interregional manner. Results: Of the patients with CA, 32 had diffuse global LGE (group 2), and 8 had focal patchy or no LGE (group 1). Global native T1, T2, and ECV were significantly higher in groups 1 and 2 than in the control group (native T1: 1384.4 ms vs. 1466.8 ms vs. 1230.5 ms; T2: 53.8 ms vs. 54.2 ms vs. 48.9 ms; and ECV: 36.9% vs. 51.4% vs. 26.0%, respectively; all, p < 0.001). Basal ECV (53.7%) was significantly higher than the mid and apical ECVs (50.1% and 50.0%, respectively; p < 0.001) in group 2. Basal and mid peak radial strains (PRSs) and peak circumferential strains (PCSs) were significantly lower than the apical PRS and PCS, respectively (PRS, 15.6% vs. 16.7% vs. 26.9%; and PCS, -9.7% vs. -10.9% vs. -15.0%; all, p < 0.001). Basal ECV and basal strain (2-dimensional PRS) in group 2 showed a significant negative correlation (r = -0.623, p < 0.001). Group 1 showed no regional ECV differences (basal, 37.0%; mid, 35.9%; and apical, 38.3%; p = 0.184). Conclusion: Quantitative T1 mapping parameters such as native T1 and ECV may help diagnose early CA. ECV, in particular, can reflect regional differences in the amyloid deposition in patients with advanced CA, and increased basal ECV is related to decreased basal strain. Therefore, quantitative CMR parameters may help diagnose CA and determine its severity in patients with or without LGE.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.83-93
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the value of the myocardial extracellular volume fraction (ECV) in predicting myocardial functional outcome after revascularization of coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO). Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with CTO underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) before and 6 months after revascularization. Three baseline markers of functional outcome were evaluated in the dysfunctional segments assigned to the CTO vessels: ECV, transmural extent of infarction (TEI), and unenhanced rim thickness (RIM). At the global level, the ECV values of the whole myocardium with and without a hyperenhanced region (global and remote ECV) were respectively measured. Results: In per-segment analysis, ECV was superior to TEI and RIM in predicting functional recovery (area under receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]: 0.86 vs. 0.75 and 0.73, all p values < 0.010), and it emerged as the only independent predictor of regional functional outcome (odds ratio [OR] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77-0.89; p < 0.001) independent of collateral circulation. In per-patient analysis, global baseline ECV was indicative of ejection fraction (EF) at the follow-up examination (β = -0.61, p < 0.001) and changes in EF (β = -0.57, p = 0.001) in multivariate regression analysis. A patient with global baseline ECV less than 30.0% (AUC, 0.93; sensitivity 94%, specificity 80%) was more likely to demonstrate significant EF improvement (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.17-0.85; p = 0.019). Conclusion: Extracellular volume fraction obtained by CMR may provide incremental value for the prediction of functional recovery both at the segmental and global levels in CTO patients, and may facilitate the identification of patients who can benefit from revascularization.