1. ‘How I do’ CMR in DCM Dr Sanjay Prasad, Royal Brompton Hospital
London, UK. For SCMR August 2006
This presentation is posted for members of scmr as an educational guide – it represents the views and practices of the author, and not necessarily those of SCMR.

2. Cine
ADD DCM Cine

3. Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Unexplained dilatation and impaired contractile performance of the left ventricle in the absence of significant coronary artery disease
Prevalence – 38/
Variable onset
A familial basis is seen in around 15% of patients

4. Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Causes
Idiopathic — 50 %
Myocarditis — 9 %
Infiltrative disease — 5 %
Peripartum cardiomyopathy — 4 %
Hypertension — 4 %
HIV infection — 4 %
Connective tissue disease — 3 %
Other — 10 percent
Felker et al, NEJM 2000

5. DCM: Diagnosis Often late presentation Annual mortality ~4% (>SCD)
Opportunity for detection at an early/preclinical stage

6. CMR Evaluation of DCM
The first important aspect is determining LV and RV volumes, ejection fractions and mass
We recommend the modified Simpson’s method rather than biplanar assessment since it makes no assumptions on cardiac morphology and is both more accurate and reproducible.
After piloting the 4ch and VLA views, retrospectively gated gradient echo cine slices are taken from the base to apex
Typically 7mm slices with a 3mm gap.
Usually myocardial coverage is achieved in 9-10 slices

7. CMR Quantification See the presentation ‘how I do’ LV volumes
Downloadable from

8. T2 Imaging
In patients with an acute presentation of DCM, T2-weighted imaging is recommended to look for evidence of active inflammation/oedema.
The most likely cause for increased signal in the absence of infarction will be due to myocarditis
Occasionally other conditions such as sarcoidosis may also manifest in this way.

9. T2 Imaging
Patient with a dilated LV and evidence of increased mid-wall/subepicardial signal on T2-weighted images in the anterolateral wall. The underlying diagnosis was DCM post-myocarditis.

10. T2 Imaging
If the T2-weighted triple-inversion recovery sequence is used, typical sequence parameters are :-
Slice thickness of 8mm
Surface and body coils
TR – 2x RR
TE- 65ms
TI – 170ms
Images are taken in the VLA, 4ch view, plus a full SA stack

11. Assessment of Fibrosis
The presence of replacement fibrosis can be detected using the inversion recovery late enhancement technique following gadolinium-DTPA administration.
In several recent studies, about 60% of patients with DCM showed no detectable fibrosis.
30% showed mid-wall enhancement that correlates with fibrosis on histology.
10% showed a typical pattern of infarction with subendocardial rather than mid-wall enhancement. In the presence of normal coronaries, this is likely to represent recannalisation, an embolic episode or coronary spasm.
McCrohon J et al, Circulation 2003

12. Detection of Fibrosis: Inversion Recovery Sequence
Dosage of Gd-DTPA: mmol/kg
At 0.1mmol/kg, images are usually acquired after about 5 minutes with a TI starting at ~340ms (every other heart beat).
At 0.2 mmol/kg, scans are acquired after about 15 minutes with a TI starting at ~250ms.

13. Detection of Fibrosis: Inversion Recovery Sequence
Tips to confirm mid-wall fibrosis and ensure that artefact is not being detected are:-
Phase swap each slice
If mid-wall enhancement is seen, ensure that the TI is optimal and if need be, repeat the slice with a different TI
Cross-cut through any areas of suspected mid-wall enhancement
If subendocardial enhancement is seen, reconsider the diagnosis or assess if this reflects ‘bystander’ coronary disease
It is normal to see some fibrosis around the LVOT and at the RV/LV septal insertion points

14. Assessment of Fibrosis
In this example, no late enhancement is seen reflecting the absence
of detectable fibrosis

15. Assessment of Fibrosis
In this patient, there is evidence of mid-wall fibrosis (arrows)

16. Why assess fibrosis It may be prognostically significant
It may indicate aetiology of LVF
It may indicate response to treatment
(beta-blockers/device therapy)
Assomull et al, JACC 2006 (In press)

17. Assessment of Fibrosis
Although the prescan diagnosis was of DCM (normal coronary angiogram), the CMR study shows extensive subendocardial enhancement reflecting an ischaemic aetiology

18. Follow-Up This will be clinically determined
In a stable patient where the question is of determining reverse remodelling, a reasonable interscan interval would be about 12 months