Late gadolinium enhancement in patients with Tetralogy of Fallot: A systematic review.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

The aim of this study is to review the literature concerning myocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) with cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF), with regards to its prevalence, characteristics and clinical relevance.

METHODS:

We performed a systematic search, aiming to retrieve original articles that evaluated LGE in ToF, running a search string on MEDLINE and EMBASE in November 2019 and November 2020. Papers were then selected by two independent, blinded readers based on title and abstract, and then on full-text reading, and articles which did not include LGE evaluation were excluded. From each included paper two readers extracted descriptive data concerning technical parameters of LGE acquisition, LGE description and clinical significance.

RESULTS:

18 articles were eventually included in our review. The included studies observed that a higher amount of right ventricular LGE relates with higher right ventricular volumes, lower ejection fraction and a higher pulmonary regurgitant fraction, thus acting as a marker of progressive impairment of myocardial function. Moreover, LGE in ToF patients correlated with the onset of arrhythmias, and with serum biomarkers indicative of myocardial stress and fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS:

LGE could be used in the follow-up repaired ToF patients as its appraisal can provide information concerning cardiac dysfunction. Moreover, it may be ideal to aim towards a common framework for standardizing assessment and quantification of LGE in ToF patients.

• Authors: Francesco Secchi, Giulia Lastella, Caterina Beatrice Monti, Ugo Barbaro, Davide Capra, Moreno Zanardo, Francesco Sardanelli
• Journal: European journal of radiology (Eur J Radiol) Vol. 136 Pg. 109521 (Mar 2021) ISSN: 1872-7727 [Electronic] Ireland
• PMID: 33450661 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Systematic Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Contrast Media
• Gadolinium

Topics

• Contrast Media
• Fibrosis
• Gadolinium
• Heart Ventricles (pathology)
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine
• Myocardium (pathology)
• Predictive Value of Tests
• Tetralogy of Fallot (diagnostic imaging)