Cardiologists at Royal Brompton Hospital, UK have discovered that scanning the heart using cardiovascular magnetic resonance can better diagnose and treat dilated cardiomyopathy.
The research, from a team at Royal Brompton and the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) at Imperial College London, published in the international journal Circulation, shows that cardiovascular magnetic resonance scanning – a less invasive, more cost-effective technique than the coronary angiograms currently used – can accurately diagnose heart failure resulting from dilated cardiomyopathy. For an angiogram, patients receive a local anaesthetic, before a catheter is directed into the heart allowing X-rays to show up any narrowed areas or blockages in the artery.
Royal Brompton Hospital (R. Sones)
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance captures images of the heart muscles including scarring of the heart wall that cannot be seen with angiograms. It is this scarring along with damage to the heart muscle that weakens and enlarges the heart preventing it from pumping efficiently.
Dr Sanjay Prasad, consultant cardiologist at Royal Brompton and part of the NHLI, said: “Understanding the causes of heart failure is hugely important because it dictates the treatment you give patients. An angiogram can show up the blocked arteries, which can cause heart failure, but for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy who have unobstructed arteries this won’t help to diagnose and treat the condition.
“Using cardiovascular magnetic resonance, we were able to identify a pattern of scarring to the heart tissue caused by dilated cardiomyopathy in patients who have early onset heart failure. Scanning can both accurately diagnose heart failure and collect information about what is happening to the heart muscle. We can develop the best possible treatment and support, including identifying who would benefit from having an angiogram. It means we are moving patients from diagnosis to treatment as quickly and comfortably as possible.”
