Park Seoyeon, Cho Soo Jin, Kim Sung Mok, Kim Moon Young, Choe Yeon Hyeon
School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si 16419, Republic of Korea.
Health Promotion Center, Samsung Medical Center, 81, Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06351, Republic of Korea.
J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. 2025 Aug 18;12(8):312. doi: 10.3390/jcdd12080312.
Late gadolinium enhancements (LGEs) appear in asymptomatic individuals as septal stripes, which mimic abnormal LGEs in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We aimed to evaluate the frequency and extent of LGE variation in asymptomatic individuals and to compare it with those of DCM group. This retrospective study included asymptomatic and DCM groups who underwent CMR imaging. LGE was defined as a myocardial signal intensity higher than five standard-deviations of normal myocardium. LGE was evaluated in right ventricular insertion points (RVIPs) and mid-interventricular septum. A total of 273 asymptomatic individuals (age, 54.3 ± 5.8 years, 209 males) and 100 patients with DCM (age, 55.3 ± 4.9 years, 73 males) were included. LGE was observed in 99.3% of asymptomatic and 100% of DCM groups. The average number of myocardial segments with LGE was distinguishable between asymptomatic and DCM groups (5.5 ± 1.7 vs. 7.6 ± 2.2; < 0.001). The thickness of LGE differed between two groups in mid-septum (4.5 ± 1.3 mm vs. 5.7 ± 1.8 mm; < 0.001), upper RVIP (6.1 ± 1.9 mm vs. 8.7 ± 2.7 mm; < 0.001), and lower RVIP (6.4 ± 2.3 mm vs. 8.6 ± 2.8 mm; < 0.001). Considerable overlap was observed in LGE between asymptomatic and DCM groups despite different LGE characteristics between them. LGEs within normal range should not be interpreted as abnormal findings in the evaluation of myocardial diseases including DCM.
延迟钆增强（LGE）在无症状个体中表现为间隔条纹，类似于扩张型心肌病（DCM）患者的异常LGE。我们旨在评估无症状个体中LGE变化的频率和程度，并将其与DCM组进行比较。这项回顾性研究纳入了接受心脏磁共振成像（CMR）的无症状组和DCM组。LGE定义为心肌信号强度高于正常心肌五个标准差。在右心室插入点（RVIP）和室间隔中部评估LGE。共纳入273名无症状个体（年龄54.3±5.8岁，男性209名）和100名DCM患者（年龄55.3±4.9岁，男性73名）。无症状组中99.3%观察到LGE，DCM组中100%观察到LGE。无症状组和DCM组中出现LGE的心肌节段平均数量有显著差异（5.5±1.7对7.6±2.2；<0.001）。两组在室间隔中部（4.5±1.3毫米对5.7±1.8毫米；<0.001）、RVIP上部（6.1±1.9毫米对8.7±2.7毫米；<0.001）和RVIP下部（6.4±2.3毫米对8.6±2.8毫米；<0.001）的LGE厚度不同。尽管无症状组和DCM组之间LGE特征不同，但在LGE方面观察到相当大的重叠。在包括DCM在内的心肌疾病评估中，正常范围内的LGE不应被解释为异常发现。
