The outcome of peripartum cardiomyopathy patients-single center experience.

OBJECTIVE: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) diagnosis made by excluding identifiable causes of heart failure (HF) and occurs end of the pregnancy or during the postpartum period of five months. It presents a clinical HF spectrum with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the clinical characteristics, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging features, and end-points consisting of left ventricle recovery, left ventricular assist device implantation, heart transplantation, and all-cause mortality. METHOD: Outpatient HF records between 2008 to 2021 were screened. Thirty-seven patients were defined as PPCM. Twenty-five patients had CMR evaluation at the time of diagnosis, and six patients were re-evaluated with CMR. RESULTS: The mean age was 30.5 ± 5.6 years, and the mean LVEF was 28.2% ± 6.7%. In 13(35.7%) patients, LVEF recovered during the follow-up course. The median recovery time was 281(IQR [78-358]) days. LVEF on CMR was 35.3 ± 10.5, and three patients exhibited late gadolinium enhancement(LGE) patterns. Sub-endocardial and mid-wall uptake pattern types were detected. 18(75%) patients met the Petersen left ventricle non-compaction cardiomyopathy(LVNC) criteria. Patients with NC/C ratio lower than 2.3 had lower LVEDVi and LVESVi (124.9 ± 35.4, 86.4 ± 7.5, p = .003; 86.8 ± 34.6, 52.6 ± 7.6, p = .006), respectively. The median follow-up time was 2129 (IQR [911-2634]) days. The primary endpoint-free 1-year survival was 88.9% (event rate 11.1%), and 5-year survival was 75.7% (event rate 24.3%). CONCLUSION: In a retrospective cohort of PPCM patients, 35.7% of patients' LVEF recovered, and the primary end-point of free-5-year survival was 75%. Twenty-five patients were assessed with CMR; three of four met the Petersen CMR-derived LVNC at initial evaluation.

Characteristics and long-term survival of patients with left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: Left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is a poorly understood entity resulting in heart failure. Whether it is a distinct form of cardiomyopathy or an anatomical phenotype is a subject of discussion. The current diagnosis is based on morphologic findings by comparing the compacted to non-compacted myocardium. The study aimed to compare demographic and prognostic variables of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and LVNC. Emphasis was given to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging analysis. Data on survival were also assessed. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively evaluated the characteristics and outcomes of 262 non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy patients with LVNC and DCM phenotypes. Petersen's CMR criteria of non-compacted to the compacted myocardial ratio 2.3 were used to diagnose LVNC. The primary endpoint was a composite endpoint of major adverse cardiovascular events comprising cardiovascular-related death, left ventricular assisted device implantation, or heart transplantation. A total of 262 patients with CMR data were included in the study. One hundred fifty-five patients who fulfilled CMR criteria were diagnosed as LVNC. CMR findings revealed that LVNC patients had higher left ventricular end-diastolic (137.2 ± 51.6, 116.8 ± 44.6, P = 0.002) and systolic volume index (98.4 ± 49.5, 85.9 ± 42.7, P = 0.049). Cardiac haemodynamics, cardiac output (5.61 ± 2.03, 4.96 ± 1.83; P = 0.010), stroke volume (73.9 ± 28.8, 65.1 ± 25.1; P = 0.013), and cardiac index (2.85 ± 1.0, 2.37 ± 0.72; P < 0.0001), were higher in LVNC patients. Of all the 249 patients, 102 (40.9%) patients demonstrated late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). According to Petersen's criteria, the Kaplan-Meier survival outcome did not reveal significant differences (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.89-2.63], P = 0.11). The presence or pattern of LGE did not show significant importance for endpoint-free survival. Most of the sub-epicardial LGE pattern was found in LVNC patients (94.4%). When receiver operator characteristics analysis was applied to NC/C ratio to discriminate the primary endpoint, a higher NC/C ratio of 2.57 was associated with adverse events (HR: 1.90, 95% CI: [1.12-3.24], P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Our study questions the criteria being used for the diagnosis of LVNC. Further evaluation of CMR variables and association of these findings with demographic variables and survival is mandatory.