Measuring Heart Tissue Changes in Hypertensive Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Mongeon Francois-Pierre, Jerosch-Herold Michael, Coelho-Filho Otavio Rizzi, Seabra Luciana F, Watanabe Eri, Blankstein Ron, Kwong Raymond Y
Primary Institution: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Hypothesis
The myocardial extracellular volume fraction (MECVF) would better reflect the presence and severity of myocardial fibrosis in hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
Conclusion
Patients with chronic hypertension show evidence of extracellular matrix expansion.
Supporting Evidence
- The mean blood pressure was not significantly different between treated hypertensive patients and control subjects.
- The median LV mass index showed a trend increase in hypertensive patients compared to controls.
- There was evidence of increased MECVF in hypertensive patients compared to controls.
Takeaway
This study looked at how heart tissue changes in people with high blood pressure, finding that a specific measurement can show more about heart health than traditional methods.
Methodology
3T cardiac MRI was performed on 19 subjects, including normotensive controls and hypertensive patients, to measure MECVF using T1 imaging.
Participant Demographics
9 normotensive control subjects (mean age 45±11 years, 66.7% female) and 10 hypertensive patients (mean age 65±15 years, 40% female).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.0001
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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