Clinical Report: Assessing the Role of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography in MM

Overview

This pilot study investigates the use of speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) to detect subclinical cardiac involvement in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. The findings indicate that global longitudinal strain (GLS) was significantly lower in the cardiac involvement group compared to the non-cardiac involvement group.

Background

Multiple myeloma (MM) is associated with various cardiac complications, including myocardial amyloidosis, which can lead to significant morbidity. Early detection of cardiac involvement is crucial for timely intervention, yet current diagnostic methods may not adequately identify subclinical dysfunction. Speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) offers a non-invasive approach to assess myocardial mechanics and may enhance early diagnosis.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• Absolute GLS was significantly lower in the cardiac involvement group compared to the non-cardiac involvement group (9.6% vs. 16.9%, p = 0.007).
• The area under the ROC curve for GLS in identifying clinical cardiac involvement was 0.980 (95% CI: 0.92–1.00).
• The optimal cut-off for GLS to identify cardiac involvement was −16%, with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 53.3%.
• Findings are preliminary due to the small sample size and lack of gold-standard confirmation.
• External validation in larger cohorts is necessary before clinical implementation.

Clinical Implications

The study presents findings on GLS derived from STE in relation to cardiac involvement in MM patients.

Conclusion

STE-derived GLS demonstrated significant differences in identifying cardiac involvement in MM patients.

Related Resources & Content

1. Blood Cancer Journal, 2015 -- Prognostic and Clinical Implications of Bone Marrow Abnormalities in the Appendicular Skeleton Identified by Low-Dose Whole-Body Multidetector CT in Multiple Myeloma Patients
2. Blood Cancer Journal, 2020 -- The Impact of Low-Dose Whole Body CT on Monitoring Disease Progression in Patients with Smoldering Multiple Myeloma
3. European Radiology, 2024 -- Loss of T2 Signal Intensity in the Spleen on MRI Correlates with Disease Severity in Multiple Myeloma
4. Clinical Research in Cardiology, 2024 -- Evaluating the Prognostic Utility of a Combined Clinical and Echocardiographic Risk Score for Predicting Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Ischemic Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction
5. ASH CPG Amyloidosis Visual Summary 0626
6. Clinical Applications of Strain Echocardiography: A Clinical Consensus Statement From the American Society of Echocardiography Developed in Collaboration With the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging of the European Society of Cardiology
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9. Relative apical sparing of left ventricular longitudinal strain for the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC