Aim: To evaluate the association between late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) at cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and major adverse events in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients.
Materials and methods: Databases, including PubMed, Ovid, and EMBASE, were searched for studies evaluating LGE at CMR in DCM patient prognostication. Clinical outcomes were analysed using fixed-effects models or, in cases of significant heterogeneity, random-effects models.
Results: In the meta-analysis of 13 studies on 1675 DCM patients with a mean follow-up of 3 years, LGE is associated with all-cause mortality (pooled odds ratio, 3.43 [95% confidence interval, 2.26-5.22], p<0.00001), cardiac death/transplantation (3.65 [1.80-7.40], p=0.0003), hospitalisation for heart failure (2.87 [1.53-5.39], p=0.001), major arrhythmia events (sudden cardiac death, sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) discharge/pacing, and syncope: 4.24 [2.95-6.08], p<0.00001), and sudden cardiac death (3.33 [1.80-6.17], p=0.0001).
Conclusion: LGE in DCM patients appears to be associated with mortality and major cardiac events, underscoring its potential as an independent index for risk stratification and treatment guidance.
Copyright © 2015 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.