MRI imaging is a useful tool for predicting the outcomes of patients with PAH, reports Physician’s Briefing.
The researchers found that right ventricular (RV)-end-systolic-volume-index adjusted for age and sex and the relative area change of the pulmonary artery were independent MRI predictors of death. Based on the derivation cohort, a model of MRI and clinical data was able to predict mortality in the validation cohort at one year (sensitivity, 70; specificity, 62; positive predictive value [PPV], 24; and negative predictive value [NPV], 92) and at three years (sensitivity, 77; specificity, 73; PPV, 56; and NPV, 87). The accuracy of the model was greater for patients with idiopathic PAH at three years (sensitivity, 89; specificity, 76; PPV, 60; and NPV, 94).
“MRI measurements reflecting RV structure and stiffness of the proximal pulmonary vasculature are independent predictors of outcome in PAH,” the authors write. “In combination with clinical data, MRI has moderate prognostic accuracy in the evaluation of patients with PAH.”
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