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News
Spotting cardiac amyloidosis just got easier. A retrospective study found that intense late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the interatrial septum on cardiac MRI carries a 98% specificity for cardiac amyloidosis, setting it apart from hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy. Researchers say routinely checking this one MRI feature could meaningfully sharpen diagnosis in everyday clinical practice.
Diagnosing cardiac amyloidosis (CA) can be tricky — it often mimics other heart muscle diseases. But a new retrospective study out of France suggests that one specific cardiac MRI (CMR) finding could cut through the confusion. Researchers found that intense late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the anterior interatrial septum (IAS) carries a remarkable 98% specificity for CA when compared with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
The study analyzed 159 patients across three groups — 55 with CA, 52 with HCM, and 52 with DCM — who underwent CMR between 2007 and 2024. While IAS thickness was similar across groups, intense (grade 2) IAS LGE showed up in over half of CA patients but in fewer than 2% of those with HCM or DCM.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Cardiac amyloidosis is underdiagnosed and often confused with other cardiomyopathies. Adding a systematic IAS LGE assessment to routine CMR reads is a low-cost, high-yield step that could help clinicians catch CA earlier — without additional testing.
