Assessment of global radial strain by feature tracking cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with myocardial infarction

Abstract

This study aimed to assess global radial strain (GRS) using feature tracking cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR-FT) in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Between January 2018 and September 2021, 26 MI patients and 20 healthy controls underwent CMR examinations at Tanta University Hospitals. The mean age of the study population was 54 ± 12 years. The study found that the peak GRS in MI patients was significantly lower (25.66 ± 9.54) compared to controls (35.94 ± 5.27, p< 0.001). A GRS cut-off of ≤ 34.69 distinguished cases from controls with 83% sensitivity and 75% specificity. Additionally, GRS was significantly correlated with the transmurality of the scar (r= -0.668, p< 0.001) and scar percentage (r= -0.750, p< 0.001). These findings suggest that CMR-FT-derived GRS analysis is a valuable tool for evaluating myocardial deformation and its relationship with traditional CMR parameters and scar quantification in post-MI patients.