Meral L. Reyhan1,
2, Nancy Halnon3, J. Paul Finn1, Daniel B. Ennis1,
2
1Department
of Radiological Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles,
CA, United States; 2Biomedical Physics Interdepartmental Program,
University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; 3Department
of Pediatrics , David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United
States
Becker and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (MD) are common inherited neuromuscular disorders that often develop into cardiomyopathy with posterobasal myocardial involvement and mitral regurgitation. Left Ventricular (LV) twist, defined as the difference in rotation between the apex and base of the heart, has been suggested as an imaging biomarker of ventricular dysfunction. In this study, LV twist, torsion, CL-shear angle, and systolic twist-per-volume slope have been investigated in patients with Becker and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. A decrease in LV twist within the B/DMD patients corresponding to an increasing myocardial fibrosis was observed. Apparent decreases in LV twist, torsion, CL-shear, and twist-per-volume rate indicate an impairment of the rotational mechanics in these subjects relative to non-age-matched controls.