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Spatial QRS-T angle can indicate presence of myocardial fibrosis in pediatric and young adult patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Österberg, Anna Wålinder ; Jablonowski, Robert LU ; Östman-Smith, Ingegerd ; Carlsson, Marcus LU ; Schlegel, Todd T. ; Green, Henrik ; Gunnarsson, Cecilia and Fernlund, Eva LU orcid (2025) In Journal of Electrocardiology 89.
Abstract

Background: Myocardial fibrosis, expressed as late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), is an important risk factor for malignant cardiac events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, CMR is not easily available, expensive, also needing intravenous access and contrast. Objective: To determine if derived vectorcardiographic spatial QRS-T angles, an aspect of advanced ECG (A-ECG), can indicate LGE to appropriately prioritize young HCM-patients for CMR. Methods: Young patients (age 7–31 years) with clinical HCM (N = 19) or genotype-positive but phenotype-negative (G+ P-) results (N = 6) and nine healthy volunteers were evaluated for LGE by CMR at a single centre between 2011 and 2018. A-ECG was... (More)

Background: Myocardial fibrosis, expressed as late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), is an important risk factor for malignant cardiac events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, CMR is not easily available, expensive, also needing intravenous access and contrast. Objective: To determine if derived vectorcardiographic spatial QRS-T angles, an aspect of advanced ECG (A-ECG), can indicate LGE to appropriately prioritize young HCM-patients for CMR. Methods: Young patients (age 7–31 years) with clinical HCM (N = 19) or genotype-positive but phenotype-negative (G+ P-) results (N = 6) and nine healthy volunteers were evaluated for LGE by CMR at a single centre between 2011 and 2018. A-ECG was performed within 4 months before and 6 months after CMR and evaluated for spatial mean and peaks QRS-T angles. ECG Risk-score and frontal, two-dimensional QRS-T angle were also calculated from the 12‑lead ECG. Results: All QRS-T angles were significantly higher in the HCM group with LGE as compared to the HCM group without LGE, and the G+ P- and Healthy groups. Only HCM-patients showed LGE (11/19). The optimal cut-offs for indicating LGE were > 50° for the spatial peaks (AUC = 0.98 [95 %CI 0.95–1.00], sensitivity 100 %, specificity 93 %; p < 0.001), >80° for the spatial mean (AUC = 0.91; p < 0.001), and > 60° for the frontal QRS-T angles (AUC = 0.85; p < 0.001), and > 2 points for an established ECG risk-score (AUC = 0.90, p < 0.001). Conclusion: A spatial peaks QRS-T angle >50° has excellent sensitivity and specificity as a marker of myocardial fibrosis in a young patients with HCM, and can be useful for management and follow-up of such patients.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
ECG risk-score, Frontal QRS-T angle, HCM, Myocardial fibrosis, Spatial mean QRS-T angle, Spatial peaks QRS-T angle
in
Journal of Electrocardiology
volume
89
article number
153859
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:39793321
  • scopus:85214334203
ISSN
0022-0736
DOI
10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2024.153859
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2024
id
638b5c18-888d-45b3-bc11-682d176e7c0e
date added to LUP
2025-03-13 12:44:25
date last changed
2025-07-04 08:00:24
@article{638b5c18-888d-45b3-bc11-682d176e7c0e,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Myocardial fibrosis, expressed as late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), is an important risk factor for malignant cardiac events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, CMR is not easily available, expensive, also needing intravenous access and contrast. Objective: To determine if derived vectorcardiographic spatial QRS-T angles, an aspect of advanced ECG (A-ECG), can indicate LGE to appropriately prioritize young HCM-patients for CMR. Methods: Young patients (age 7–31 years) with clinical HCM (N = 19) or genotype-positive but phenotype-negative (G+ P-) results (N = 6) and nine healthy volunteers were evaluated for LGE by CMR at a single centre between 2011 and 2018. A-ECG was performed within 4 months before and 6 months after CMR and evaluated for spatial mean and peaks QRS-T angles. ECG Risk-score and frontal, two-dimensional QRS-T angle were also calculated from the 12‑lead ECG. Results: All QRS-T angles were significantly higher in the HCM group with LGE as compared to the HCM group without LGE, and the G+ P- and Healthy groups. Only HCM-patients showed LGE (11/19). The optimal cut-offs for indicating LGE were &gt; 50° for the spatial peaks (AUC = 0.98 [95 %CI 0.95–1.00], sensitivity 100 %, specificity 93 %; p &lt; 0.001), &gt;80° for the spatial mean (AUC = 0.91; p &lt; 0.001), and &gt; 60° for the frontal QRS-T angles (AUC = 0.85; p &lt; 0.001), and &gt; 2 points for an established ECG risk-score (AUC = 0.90, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: A spatial peaks QRS-T angle &gt;50° has excellent sensitivity and specificity as a marker of myocardial fibrosis in a young patients with HCM, and can be useful for management and follow-up of such patients.</p>}},
  author       = {{Österberg, Anna Wålinder and Jablonowski, Robert and Östman-Smith, Ingegerd and Carlsson, Marcus and Schlegel, Todd T. and Green, Henrik and Gunnarsson, Cecilia and Fernlund, Eva}},
  issn         = {{0022-0736}},
  keywords     = {{ECG risk-score; Frontal QRS-T angle; HCM; Myocardial fibrosis; Spatial mean QRS-T angle; Spatial peaks QRS-T angle}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Electrocardiology}},
  title        = {{Spatial QRS-T angle can indicate presence of myocardial fibrosis in pediatric and young adult patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2024.153859}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2024.153859}},
  volume       = {{89}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}