Heart Rate related to Accuracy of left ventricular strain parameters derived from the single-shot compressed sensing cine CMR images of patients with cardiovascular disease

Abstract Objective To investigate the absolute and relative differences in the left ventricular (LV) global peak strain (GPS) values derived from single-shot compressed sensing (ss-CS) cine cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and segmented cine CMR imaging (regarded as gold standard) of patients with cardiovascular disease, and investigate the potential patient-related factors that influence the misestimation of the GPS values from the ss-CS sequence. Materials and Methods Sixty-two cardiovascular disease patients with ss-CS cine and standard segmented cine CMR images were enrolled retrospectively. They were classified into different groups based on LV wall thickness and ejection fraction (EF). Absolute and relative differences in the LV GPS were calculated from both cine images. Stepwise multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to determine the patient-related factors that influenced the underestimation of the GPS values from ss-CS cine CMR images. Results LV GPS values from the ss-CS cine images were significantly underestimated. Absolute differences in the GPS values derived from both cine images varied significantly between the groups with different wall thickness and EFs (all P < 0.050). However, relative differences in the GPS values were not associated with the LV wall thickness or EF. The stepwise multivariable regression analysis showed that EF and heart rate were both associated with the absolute differences in the GPS values between the two cines (adjusted β-coefficient: 0.244 to 0.485, P < 0.05). Moreover, heart rate was independently associated with the relative differences in the global circumferential strain (GCS) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) values (GCS: β = 0.320, P = 0.011; GLS: β = 0.388, P = 0.002). Conclusion EF and heart rate were independently associated with the absolute differences in the LV GPS values. Heart rate was independently associated with the relative differences in the GPS values. Further improvements and standardization are necessary to increase the accuracy of the high-speed CMR imaging techniques in evaluating LV strain parameters.