Andrei D Mărgulescu1,2, Marta Nuñez-Garcia3, Francisco Alarcón1, Eva M Benito1, Norihiro Enomoto1, Jennifer Cozzari1, Fredy Chipa1, Hael Fernandez1, Roger Borras1, Eduard Guasch1,4, Constantine Butakoff3, Jose M Tolosana1, Elena Arbelo1, Oscar Camara3, Lluís Mont1,4. 1. Arrhythmia Unit, Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Clinical Institute, UFA (Unitat de Fibril·lació Auricular de l'Hospital Clínic), Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, IDIBAPS (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica August Pi i Sunyer), C/Villarroel N° 170, Barcelona, Spain. 2. Department of Cardiology, Morriston Cardiac Centre, Morriston Hospital, Heol Maes Eglwys, Morriston, Swansea, UK. 3. Physense, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. 4. CIBERCV (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cardiovascular), Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract
AIMS: Late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) may define left atrial (LA) anatomy and structural remodelling, and facilitate atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. We aimed to assess the intra- and inter-observer reproducibility and agreement of LGE-CMR parameters with direct application to AF ablation techniques. METHODS AND RESULTS: One experienced and one non-experienced observer performed complete LGE-CMR data analysis twice, on different days, in 40 randomly selected LGE-CMR examinations [20 performed before ablation (pre-ablation) and 20 performed 3 months after ablation (post-ablation)]. Four additional observers (two experienced and two non-experienced) performed complete LGE-CMR data analysis in a subgroup of 30 patients (15 pre-ablation and 15 post-ablation). All LGE-CMR were performed in sinus rhythm. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of LA volume, LA area, and sphericity index (SI) was high: coefficient of variation <10% and intraclass correlation coefficient >0.71. Geometric congruency of repeated reconstruction of LA shape was high: maximal error <5 mm for intra-observer and <8 mm for inter-observer. The precision of scar location increased with extent of scar, and was high (Dice coefficient >0.75) when the scar area was >5 cm2 for a single observer and >15 cm2 for multiple observers. Non-experienced observers performed equally well to experienced observers. CONCLUSION: Late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance measurements of LA area, volume, and SI were reproducible, and geometric congruency of LA shape was high. Location of scar was precise for scar areas >5 cm2 for single observers and >15 cm2 for multiple observers, regardless of the observers' experience. These results may serve as a reference for future studies on the role for substrate-based AF ablation procedures. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved.
AIMS: Late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) may define left atrial (LA) anatomy and structural remodelling, and facilitate atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. We aimed to assess the intra- and inter-observer reproducibility and agreement of LGE-CMR parameters with direct application to AF ablation techniques. METHODS AND RESULTS: One experienced and one non-experienced observer performed complete LGE-CMR data analysis twice, on different days, in 40 randomly selected LGE-CMR examinations [20 performed before ablation (pre-ablation) and 20 performed 3 months after ablation (post-ablation)]. Four additional observers (two experienced and two non-experienced) performed complete LGE-CMR data analysis in a subgroup of 30 patients (15 pre-ablation and 15 post-ablation). All LGE-CMR were performed in sinus rhythm. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of LA volume, LA area, and sphericity index (SI) was high: coefficient of variation <10% and intraclass correlation coefficient >0.71. Geometric congruency of repeated reconstruction of LA shape was high: maximal error <5 mm for intra-observer and <8 mm for inter-observer. The precision of scar location increased with extent of scar, and was high (Dice coefficient >0.75) when the scar area was >5 cm2 for a single observer and >15 cm2 for multiple observers. Non-experienced observers performed equally well to experienced observers. CONCLUSION: Late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance measurements of LA area, volume, and SI were reproducible, and geometric congruency of LA shape was high. Location of scar was precise for scar areas >5 cm2 for single observers and >15 cm2 for multiple observers, regardless of the observers' experience. These results may serve as a reference for future studies on the role for substrate-based AF ablation procedures. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved.
Authors: Jens Cosedis Nielsen; Yenn-Jiang Lin; Marcio Jansen de Oliveira Figueiredo; Alireza Sepehri Shamloo; Alberto Alfie; Serge Boveda; Nikolaos Dagres; Dario Di Toro; Lee L Eckhardt; Kenneth Ellenbogen; Carina Hardy; Takanori Ikeda; Aparna Jaswal; Elizabeth Kaufman; Andrew Krahn; Kengo Kusano; Valentina Kutyifa; Han S Lim; Gregory Y H Lip; Santiago Nava-Townsend; Hui-Nam Pak; Gerardo Rodríguez Diez; William Sauer; Anil Saxena; Jesper Hastrup Svendsen; Diego Vanegas; Marmar Vaseghi; Arthur Wilde; T Jared Bunch; Alfred E Buxton; Gonzalo Calvimontes; Tze-Fan Chao; Lars Eckardt; Heidi Estner; Anne M Gillis; Rodrigo Isa; Josef Kautzner; Philippe Maury; Joshua D Moss; Gi-Byung Nam; Brian Olshansky; Luis Fernando Pava Molano; Mauricio Pimentel; Mukund Prabhu; Wendy S Tzou; Philipp Sommer; Janice Swampillai; Alejandro Vidal; Thomas Deneke; Gerhard Hindricks; Christophe Leclercq Journal: Europace Date: 2020-08-01 Impact factor: 5.214