Abstract
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), a valuable non-invasive technique for the evaluation of the cardiovascular system, has already been accepted as the "gold standard" for the assessment of systolic function. The assessment of diastolic function is important not only for diagnosis purposes, but also in terms of prognosis. ECG-triggering phase-contrast (PC) CMR allows the routine assessment of diastolic function by measuring the transmitral and pulmonary venous flow with high accuracy and reproducibility, using morphological and quantitative parameters similar to those obtained by transthoracic echocardiography, which are so familiar to general cardiologists. Therefore, the increasing role of CMR in the assessment of the cardiovascular system requires a greater awareness and knowledge of this condition by radiologists. The aim of this study is to review the main mechanisms and common causes of left ventricle diastolic dysfunction, provide a practical approach for the assessment of LV diastolic function and illustrate the different degrees of diastolic dysfunction.
Highlights
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the third most prevalent form of heart disease with 550,000 new cases being reported annually [1]
After discussing the mechanisms and common causes of left ventricle (LV) diastolic dysfunction, we provide a practical approach for the assessment of LV diastolic function, focusing on the use of phase-contrast imaging (PC) in the evaluation of transmitral and pulmonary vein flow, and illustrate the different degrees of diastolic dysfunction
Diastolic dysfunction is a common entity, especially in patients with hypertension and ischaemic cardiomyopathy, and it is the predominant cause of CHF in 40–50% of patients
Summary
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the third most prevalent form of heart disease with 550,000 new cases being reported annually [1]. CHF caused by a predominant abnormality in diastolic function has been increasingly recognised as a common entity and a cause of significant morbidity and mortality, as 40–50% of the patients with heart failure may have isolated diastolic dysfunction with a normal or near normal left ventricle (LV) systolic function [2,3,4]. In the last 2 decades, the proportion of patients with CHF and normal LV systolic function has increased considerably, from 38% to 54% [5]. After discussing the mechanisms and common causes of LV diastolic dysfunction, we provide a practical approach for the assessment of LV diastolic function, focusing on the use of phase-contrast imaging (PC) in the evaluation of transmitral and pulmonary vein flow, and illustrate the different degrees of diastolic dysfunction
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