Prognostic value of mid-term cardiovascular magnetic resonance follow-up in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy: a prospective cohort study

The prognostic value of follow-up cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients is unclear. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of cardiac function, structure, and tissue characteristics at mid-term CMR follow-up. The study population was a prospectively enrolled cohort of DCM patients who underwent guideline-directed medical therapy with baseline and follow-up CMR, which included measurement of biventricular volume and ejection fraction, late gadolinium enhancement, native T1, native T2, and extracellular volume. During follow-up, major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were defined as a composite endpoint of cardiovascular death, heart transplantation, and heart-failure readmission. Among 235 DCM patients (median CMR interval: 15.3 months; interquartile range: 12.5–19.2 months), 54 (23.0%) experienced MACE during follow-up (median: 31.2 months; interquartile range: 20.8–50.0 months). In multivariable Cox regression, follow-up CMR models showed significantly superior predictive value than baseline CMR models. Stepwise multivariate Cox regression showed that follow-up left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; hazard ratio [HR], 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91–0.96; p < 0.001) and native T1 (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00–1.01; p = 0.030) were independent predictors of MACE. Follow-up LVEF ≥ 40% or stable LVEF < 40% with T1 ≤ 1273 ms indicated low risk (annual event rate < 4%), while stable LVEF < 40% and T1 > 1273 ms or LVEF < 40% with deterioration indicated high risk (annual event rate > 15%). Follow-up CMR provided better risk stratification than baseline CMR. Improvements in the LVEF and T1 mapping are associated with a lower risk of MACE.