Assessment of long axis shortening with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. A validation study with different techniques

Methods 60 healthy volunteers, 60 patients with dilative cardiomyopathy, 40 patients with AL amyloidosis and 25 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy underwent a CMR examination. 4 different techniques for the measurement of LAS were consecutively evaluated. Two of the techniques (LAS-epi/perp and LAS endo/perp) were assessed by measuring the distance between the epicardium or endocardium of the LV apex and a line connecting the origins of the mitral valve leaflets perpendicularly in end-diastole and end-systole. In the two other methods (LAS-epi/mid and LAS-endo/mid) the distance between the middle of the line connecting the mitral valvue leaflets and the epicardium or endocardium of the apex was measured in end-systole and end-diastole. Values for LAS for all techniques were finally assessed in percent according to the strain formula in 2 and 4 chamber views.