Myocardial External Efficiency in Asymptomatic Severe Primary Mitral Regurgitation Using 11C-Acetate PET.

Jens Sorensen, Johannes Bergsten, Tomasz Baron, Lovisa Holm Orndahl, Tanja Kero, Tomas Bjerner, Eva-Maria Hedin, Hendrik J Harms, Rafael Astudillo, Frank A Flachskampf

Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine 2023 Apr

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Subjects with asymptomatic moderate-to-severe or severe primary mitral regurgitation are closely observed for signs of progression or symptoms requiring surgical intervention. The role of myocardial metabolic function in progression of mitral regurgitation is poorly understood. We used 11C-acetate PET to noninvasively measure myocardial mechanical external efficiency (MEE), which is the energetic ratio of external cardiac work and left ventricular (LV) oxygen consumption. Methods: Forty-seven patients in surveillance with mitral regurgitation and no or minimal symptoms prospectively underwent PET, echocardiography, and cardiac MRI on the same day. PET was used to simultaneously measure cardiac output, LV mass, and oxygen consumption to establish MEE. PET findings were compared between patients and healthy volunteers (n = 9). MEE and standard imaging indicators of regurgitation severity, LV volumes, and function were studied as predictors of time to surgical intervention. Patients were followed a median of 3.0 y (interquartile range, 2.0-3.8 y), and the endpoint was reached in 22 subjects (47%). Results: MEE in patients reaching the endpoint (23.8% ± 5.0%) was lower than in censored patients (28.5% ± 4.5%, P = 0.002) or healthy volunteers (30.1% ± 4.9%, P = 0.001). MEE with a cutoff lower than 25.7% was significantly associated with the outcome (hazard ratio, 7.5; 95% CI, 2.7-20.6; P < 0.0001) and retained independent significance when compared with standard imaging parameters. Conclusion: MEE independently predicted time to progression requiring valve surgery in patients with asymptomatic moderate-to-severe or severe primary mitral regurgitation. The study suggests that inefficient myocardial oxidative metabolism precedes clinically observed progression in mitral regurgitation. © 2023 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Citation

Jens Sorensen, Johannes Bergsten, Tomasz Baron, Lovisa Holm Orndahl, Tanja Kero, Tomas Bjerner, Eva-Maria Hedin, Hendrik J Harms, Rafael Astudillo, Frank A Flachskampf. Myocardial External Efficiency in Asymptomatic Severe Primary Mitral Regurgitation Using 11C-Acetate PET. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine. 2023 Apr;64(4):645-651