Is cardiac CT a reliable alternative for cardiac CMR in adult patients with a systemic right ventricle?

Abstract

Our manuscript addresses the reliability of cardiac CT as an alternative for cardiac MRI in patients with a systemic right ventricle. Currently, cardiac MRI is considered the gold standard for volumes and function measurements of the systemic right ventricle. However, 20% of patients with a systemic right ventricle is pacemaker dependent, and therefore unsuitable to undergo MRI. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate whether cardiac CT provides a reliable alternative for volumes and function measurements of the systemic RV, which is morphologically very different from the subpulmonary RV. We found that cardiac CT provides a reliable alternative for cardiac MRI for volumes and function measurements of the systemic RV, although larger variability between measurements should be taken into account. However, we recommend restrictive patient selection, to avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation and contrast agents.