Prognostic Value of Feature-Tracking Right Ventricular Longitudinal Strain in Severe Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation A Multicenter Study

OBJECTIVES This study sought to evaluate the prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) featuretracking-derived right ventricular (RV) free wall longitudinal strain (RVFWLS) in a large multicenter population of patients with severe functional tricuspid regurgitation. BACKGROUND Tricuspid regurgitation imposes a volume overload on the RV that can lead to progressive RV dilation and dysfunction. Overt RV dysfunction is associated with poor prognosis and increased operative risk. Abnormalities of myocardial strain may provide the earliest evidence of ventricular dysfunction. CMR feature-tracking techniques now allow assessment of strain from routine cine images, without specialized pulse sequences. Whether abnormalities of RV strain measured using CMR feature tracking have prognostic value in patients with tricuspid regurgitation is unknown. METHODS Consecutive patients with severe functional tricuspid regurgitation undergoing CMR at 4 U.S. medical centers were included in this study. Feature-tracking RVFWLS was calculated from 4-chamber cine views. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to examine the independent association between RVFWLS and death. The incremental prognostic value of RVFWLS was assessed in nested models. RESULTS Of the 544 patients in this study, 128 died during a median follow-up of 6 years. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with RVFWLS $median (-16%) had significantly reduced event-free survival compared with those with RVFWLS 更多