Quantification of myocardial delayed enhancement and wall thickness in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Multidetector computed tomography versus magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

ObjectivesTo evaluate the accuracy of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in assessing myocardial delayed enhancement and left ventricle wall thickness in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) compared with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) as the reference standard. Materials and methodsEighty consecutive patients (59 male; 53.2±13.0 years) were examined with MDCT, followed by CMR 1 day later. Cardiac CT angiography and a delayed CT were performed. CMR was performed according to a standardized protocol. Left ventricle wall thickness and positions of myocardial delayed enhancement were identified in both CMR and CT images according to the American Heart Association left ventricle 17-segment model. Myocardial delayed enhancement was characterized as “dense” (areas with clear defined borders) or “diffuse” and then quantified using both techniques. ResultsLeft ventricle wall thickness determined by MDCT was significantly correlated with CMR (R=0.88, P<0.01). Compared with CMR, MDCT accurately diagnosed 74 of 78 (94.9%) patients and 1243 of 1326 (93.7%) segments. For dense myocardial delayed enhancement, MDCT significantly correlated with CMR (R=0.88, P<0.01) and slightly underestimated myocardial delayed enhancement (mean, −3.85%; lower and upper limits of agreement, −13.40% and 5.70%, respectively). ConclusionsMDCT provides reliable quantification of myocardial delayed enhancement and evaluation of left ventricle wall thickness and has a good correlation with CMR in patients with HCM when a comprehensive cardiac CT protocol is used and can be applied for intervention planning.