The following is a summary of “Significance of Anteroseptal Late Gadolinium Enhancement Among Patients With Acute Myocarditis,” published in the July 2023 issue of the Cardiovascular Disease by Mulla et al.

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the anteroseptal region, as detected by cardiovascular magnetic resonance in patients with acute myocarditis (AM), may suggest an independent indicator of unfavorable outcomes based on recent data. Researcher’s objective was to assess the medical features, treatment, and effects during hospitalization in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AM) who have positive late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the anteroseptal region. Researchers analyzed data from a cohort of 262 consecutive patients admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and positive late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) within 5 days of hospitalization. The total number of patients included in the study was 425. The participants were categorized into two cohorts: individuals exhibiting anteroseptal late gadolinium enhancement (n = 25, 9.5%) and those without anteroseptal late gadolinium enhancement (n = 237, 90.5%).

Except for age, which was elevated in patients with anteroseptal late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), no significant differences were observed in the demographic and clinical characteristics between the two groups. This includes past medical history, clinical presentation, electrocardiogram parameters, and laboratory values. Additionally, individuals with anteroseptal late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) were found to have a higher probability of exhibiting decreased left ventricular ejection fraction and requiring interventions for congestive heart failure. Despite anteroseptal late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), there was no significant difference in in-hospital outcomes between patients with and without this condition on multivariable analysis. 

However, it is worth noting that univariate analysis did show a higher likelihood of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events in patients with anteroseptal LGE (28% vs. 9%, P = 0.003). A more significant left ventricular ejection fraction in either echocardiography or cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging was associated with improved outcomes during the patient’s hospital stay, regardless of the presence or absence of anteroseptal late gadolinium enhancement. In summary, the existence of anteroseptal late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) did not provide any supplementary prognostic significance for outcomes during the patient’s hospital stay.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002914923002126