Examining the relationship between cardiac troponin T and cardiac morphology, function, and fibrosis - a cardiac magnetic resonance study

Background Elevated high sensitivity cardiac troponin (cTnT) levels, LVEF, and the degree of myocardial replacement fibrosis (RF) have been shown to be significantly associated with cardiovascular outcomes. However, the relationship amongst them has yet to be studied. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has become the gold standard for viability imaging and accurately characterizing RF. Recently, a new technique has been employed to quantify diffuse myocardial fibrosis via assessment of myocardial extracellular volume (ECV). The current study sought to investigate the association between ECV, RF, LVEF, LV mass (LVM) and cTnT levels.