Extensive late gadolinium enhancement on cardiovascular magnetic resonance predicts adverse outcomes and lack of improvement in LV function after steroid therapy in cardiac sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND: Gadolinium-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance is an emerging tool for the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS); however, the correlations between extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and efficacy of steroid therapy and adverse outcomes in patients with CS remain unclear.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to clarify the prognostic impact of extent of LGE in patients with CS.
METHODS: Before the start of steroid therapy, 43 consecutive LGE-positive patients with CS were divided into two groups based on the extent of LGE by a median value: small-extent LGE (LGE mass <20% of LV mass; n=21) and large-extent LGE (LGE mass ≥20% of LV mass; n=22). We examined the correlations between extent of LGE and outcomes after steroid therapy.
RESULTS: Among the 6 patients who died from heart disorders, 11 patients who were hospitalised because of heart failure and 6 patients who suffered life-threatening arrhythmia during the follow-up period, large-extent LGE predicted higher incidences of cardiac mortality and hospitalisation for heart failure. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that large-extent LGE was independently associated with combined adverse outcomes including cardiac death, hospitalisation for heart failure, and life-threatening arrhythmias. In the small-extent LGE group, LV end-diastolic volume index significantly decreased and LVEF significantly increased after steroid therapy, whereas in the large-extent LGE group, neither LV volume nor LVEF changed substantially.
CONCLUSIONS: Large-extent LGE correlates with absence of LV functional improvement and high incidence of adverse outcomes in patients with CS after steroid therapy. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.