Identification of Two Myocardial Lipid Pools in Muscular Dystrophy Patients by 1H MRS at 3T

Belen Rial¹, Joseph J Suttie¹, Stefan Neubauer¹, Matthew D. Robson¹, Jurgen E. Schneider¹

The excess of myocardial lipid accumulation may produce cardiomyopathy, leading to dysfunction. Myocardial lipid content can now be evaluated using ¹ H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The present study shows the ability of proton spectroscopy at 3 T to differentiate intra- from extramyocellular lipid resonances in the inter-ventricular septum of muscular dystrophy patients with impaired septal contractility. Conversely, extramyocellular lipid resonances were not visible in corresponding myocardial spectra of lean normal subjects with significantly lower intra-myocellular lipid content.Thus, cardiac proton MR spectroscopy may help to determine whether or not myocardial lipid overstorage is important in this disease process.¹