TY - JOUR
TI - Application of image analysis in the myocardial biopsies of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy
AU - Agapitos, Emanuel
AU - Kavantzas, Nikolaos
AU - Bakouris, M.G.
AU - Kassis, Kyriakos A.
AU - Nanas, J.
AU - Margari, Z.
AU - Davaris, P.
JO - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
PY - 1996
VL - 2676
TODO - null
SP - 103-111
PB - Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, Bellingham
SN - null
TODO - 10.1117/12.238788
TODO - Cardiology;  Correlation methods;  Forecasting;  Image analysis;  Medical imaging, Dilated cardiomyopathy;  Myocardial biopsy;  Myocardial fibrosis, Imaging techniques
TODO - The aim of our study is to investigate if myocardial fibrosis measured by image analysis may be considered as an important and accurate index of dilated cardiomyopathy and its prognosis. The study group consisted of 24 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy which was diagnosed by echocardiography, radionuclide ventriculography, cardiac catheterization and left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy. The patients' overall disability was conventionally expressed with the criteria for functional capacity. Using image analysis the percentage of fibrosis in a total of 35 myocardial biopsies was measured accurately. A comparison study between the percentage of myocardial fibrosis and the clinical parameters (left ventricular ejection fraction and overall functional capacity) showing the degree of each patient's heart failure followed. A correlation was found among fibrosis, left ventricular ejection fraction and overall functional capacity. The cases with small values of fibrosis (less than 10%) have big values of ejection fraction and belong in Class I of overall functional capacity. The cases with big values of fibrosis (greater than 10%) belong in Classes III and IV of overall functional capacity and have small values of ejection fraction. The results of the comparison study were presented graphically and were considered significant. Myocardial fibrosis measured by image analysis might be considered an important prognostic index of dilated cardiomyopathy.
ER -