The Prognostic Role of Hypertrabeculation By Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Thalassemia Intermedia Patients

Abstract Background. Differentiation of left ventricle non-compaction (LVNC) from hypertrabeculated LV due to a negative heart remodeling in thalassemia intermedia (TI) can depends on the selected CMR criterion. The recently proposed Piga's criterion (NC/C ratio threshold of >2.5, Am J Haem 2012) seems to have a low specificity to identify the true LVNC in TI. Anyway, the Piga's criterion could well detect easy a negative heart remodeling in TI patients. Purpose: To assess prospectively whether the Piga's criterion has a prognostic role for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in TI patients. Methods. We studied prospectively by CMR 168 TI patients (81 males, mean age 38.32 ±11.61 years) cons…