Intra-Left Ventricular Hemodynamics Assessed with 4D Flow Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Left Ventricular Thrombus

Left ventricular thrombus (LVT) has been identified to be crucial in patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF). Three-dimensional cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (4D flow MRI) can visualize the intra-LV vortex during diastole and quantify the maximum flow velocity (Vmax) at the apex. In this study, we investigated whether the change in the intra-LV vortex was associated with the presence of LVT in patients with cardiac disease. In total, 36 patients (63.5 +/- 11.9 years, 28 men, 12/24 with/without LVT) with diffuse LV dysfunction underwent 4D flow MRI. The relative vortex area using streamline images and Vmax of blood flow toward the apex at the apical left ventricle were evaluated. The correlation between the relative vortex area and Vmax was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The ability to detect LVT was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic. The relative vortex area was found to be smaller (27 +/- 10% versus 45 +/- 11%, P = 0.000026), whereas Vmax at the apical left ventricle was lower (19.1 +/- 4.4 cm/second versus 27.4 +/- 8.9 cm/second, P = 0.0006) in patients with LVT. Vmax at the apical left ventricle demonstrated significant correlations with the relative vortex area (r = 0.43, P = 0.01) and relative transverse length of the vortex (r = 0.45, P = 0.007). The AUC was 0.91 for the relative vortex area, whereas it was 0.80 for Vmax in the apical left ventricle. A smaller LV vortex and lower flow velocity at the LV apex were associated with LVT in patients with reduced EF.