Sarcoidosis Pulmonary Hypertension News
With that latest indication (Sarcoidosis), they clearly now have 2 solid selling arguments in our favors to have cardiology sites buy their technology:
- MRI equivalent accuracy for the whole heart
- ability to diagnose Sarcoidosis
That should sells like hotcakes.
This 2014 paper showed that back then, they had to rely on MRI for patients with Sacroidosis condition. Knowing that we have MRI-equivalent accuracy and that are operational costs are much lower ... investing in VPT technology sounds like a no-brainer.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Identifying Patients With Cardiac Sarcoidosis and Preserved or Mildly Reduced Left Ventricular Function at Risk of Ventricular Arrhythmias
2014
Background—The purpose of this study was to assess whether delayed enhancement (DE) on MRI is associated with ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ventricular fibrillation or death in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis and left ventricular ejection fraction >35%.
Methods and Results—Fifty-one patients with cardiac sarcoidosis and left ventricular ejection fraction >35% underwent DE-MRI. DE was assessed by visual scoring and quantified with the full-width at half-maximum method. The patients were followed for 48.0±20.2 months. Twenty-two of 51 patients (63%) had DE. Forty patients had no prior history of VT (primary prevention cohort). Among those, 3 patients developed VT and 2 patients died. DE was associated with risk of VT/ventricular fibrillation or death (P=0.0032 for any DE and P<0.0001 for right ventricular DE). The positive predictive values of the presence of any DE, multifocal DE, and right ventricular DE for death or VT/ventricular fibrillation at mean follow-up of 48 months were 22%, 48%, and 100%, respectively. Among the 11 patients with a history of VT before the MRI, 10 patients had subsequent VTs, 1 of whom died.
Conclusions—RV DE in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis is associated with a risk of adverse events in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis and preserved ejection fraction in the absence of a prior history of VT. Patients with DE and a prior history of VT have a high VT recurrence rate. Patients without DE on MRI have a low risk of VT. (Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2014;7:1109-1115.)
MRI and Outcomes in Cardiac Sarcoidosis
...
Methods:
Multicenter Registry for Cardiac Sarcoidosis:
A multicenter registry for the purpose of research collaboration of this rare disease was established, with the University of Michigan serving as the coordinating center for this study
Cardiac MRI:
All patients underwent cardiac MRI ...
Data Analysis:
All DE-MRI images were analyzed off-line
