Correlation between left ventricular fractal dimension and impaired strain assessed by cardiac MRI feature tracking in patients with left ventricular noncompaction and normal left ventricular ejection fraction

Objectives To investigate the correlation between the extent of excessive trabeculation assessed by fractal dimension (FD) and myocardial contractility assessed by cardiac MRI feature tracking in patients with left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) and normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Methods Forty-one LVNC patients with normal LVEF (>= 50%) and 41 healthy controls were retrospectively included. All patients fulfilled three available diagnostic criteria on MRI. Cardiac MRI feature tracking was performed on cine images to determine left ventricular (LV) peak strains in three directions: global radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and global longitudinal strain (GLS). The complexity of excessive trabeculation was quantified by fractal analysis on short-axis cine stacks. Results Compared with controls, patients with LVNC had impaired GRS, GCS, and GLS (all p < 0.05). The global, maximal, and regional FD values of the LVNC population were all significantly higher than those of the controls (all p < 0.05). Global FD was positively correlated with the end-diastolic volume index, end-systolic volume index, and stroke volume index (r = 0.483, 0.505, and 0.335, respectively, all p < 0.05), but negatively correlated with GRS and GCS (r = - 0.458 and 0.508, respectively, both p < 0.001). Moreover, apical FD was also weakly associated with LVEF and GLS (r = - 0.249 and 0.252, respectively, both p < 0.05). Conclusion In patients with LVNC, LV systolic dysfunction was detected early by cardiac MRI feature tracking despite the presence of normal LVEF and was associated with excessive trabecular complexity assessed by FD.

Automated summary

This study revealed that LV systolic dysfunction could be early detected in LVNC patients with normal LVEF using cardiac MRI feature tracking, and it was associated with the complexity of excessive trabeculation assessed by FD.