IMPReSSION Study

IMPRoving cardiovascular RiSk Stratification using myocardial mapping in general populatION​
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Magnetic properties of myocardial tissue change in the presence of disease. This is detectable in the change of rate of magnetic relaxation, and measurable by T1 and T2 mapping using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). These markers provide novel quantifiable imaging measures for myocardial tissue characterisation. Despite similar principles the measurements differ considerably between different sequences, vendors and field strengths, yielding a necessity to establish robust sequence-specific normal ranges, diagnostic accuracy and prognostic relationships in apparently healthy subjects with no known heart disease. A further unknown relates to separation between healthy myocardium and the subclinical disease in several groups of patients with suspected cardiac involvement. Examples include patients with systemic inflammatory conditions, as well as patients with a recent COVID-19 infection. 

Registration
clinicaltrials.gov 

Principal Investigator(s)

Collaborators
Priv. Doz. Dr. Valentina Puntmann, Institute of Cardiovascular and Experimental Cardiovascular Imaging, Goethe CVI Frankfurt, University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany
Prof Dr Eike Nagel, Institute of Cardiovascular and Experimental Cardiovascular Imaging, Goethe CVI Frankfurt, University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany
Participating sites
​1. Goethe CVI, Frankfurt, Germany
2. Kerckhoff Klinik, Bad Nauheim, Germany.
3. University Hospital Mainz, Germany
​4. University Hospital Ulm, Germany

Study design

An observational longitudinal outcome study of apparently healthy subject with no cardiac symptoms or known heart disease. Participants can be asymptomatic healthy subjects or patients from subgroups with known high-risk (such as a recent COVID19 infection) with no known or clinically relevant cardiac disease.

Inclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria
  1. Adults >18 years of age
  2. Able to provide informed consent
  1. Absence of absolute clinical indication for MRI studies (MR unsafe or incompatible devices, aneurysm clips, cochlear implants, loose metal foreign objects)
  2. Absolute contraindications to gadolinium contrast agent (previous allergic reaction or pregnancy)

The CMR study

Picture

Where to find us

Institute for Cardiovascular and Experimental Cardiovascular Imaging, Goethe CVI
Haus 25B Ground floor, University Hospital Frankfurt, 
Theodor Stern Kai 7, Frankfurt, 60590 Germany