TrueFISP MR imaging to determine the influence of hemodialysis on the myocardial functional parameters in patients with terminal renal insufficiency

Purpose: To assess the characteristic signs of uremic cardiomyopathy in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) in comparison with healthy volunteers and to determine changes of left ventricular (LV) functional parameters in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Methods and Materials: Using a 1.5 T Magnetom Sonata system (Siemens, Erlangen), cardiac MR imaging was performed on 26 patients (20 men, 6 women, mean age 54.7 years) and 14 volunteers (8 men, 6 women, mean age 27.7 years). Single-slice true FISP sequences (TR 3.2 ms, TE 1.6 ms, flip angel 58degrees, matrix 256 x 208, slice thickness 5 mm) were used to obtain contiguous short axis slices covering the whole left ventricle. Patients were examined before and immediately after HD. Cardiodynamic parameters [end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV), ejection fraction (EF), myocardial mass (MM), cardiac output (CO)] were calculated using the modified Simpson's rule (Argus Software, Siemens). Patient data were compared to reference values taken from healthy volunteers. Results: As a consequence of HD, significant differences (p<0.01) were observed for EDV (150 + 47 ml/114 + 49 ml), ESV (71 + 46 ml/60 + 56 ml), SV (79 + 25 ml/57 + 27 ml) and CO (3.6 + 1.0 l/min*m(2)/2.6 + 1.1 l/min*m(2)). Although EF (56 + 15 %/ 53 + 18 %) was decreased after HD, values did not differ significantly (p>0.05). MM (148 + 47 g/148 + 52 g) and myocardial mass index (80.7 +/- 27.4 g/m(2)/80.1 +/- 9.1 g/m(2)) did not change before and after HD. In all patients, signs of LV-hypertrophy (LVH) and increased CO were diagnosed compared to reference values. In 8 of 26 patients, additional pathology, such as valvular dysfunction or global cardiac insufficiency, was detected. Conclusion: Cardiac MRI is an accurate tool to identify uremic cardiomyopathy in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing HD. LV functional parameters could be monitored reliably.