Velocity transfer function in the right pulmonary artery correlates with right ventricular remodeling and pulmonary functional impairments in COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often associated with pulmonary artery (PA) hypertension (PH), however a mild to moderate PH is frequently not identified on non-invasive testing in COPD patients. The novel non-invasive cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) derived parameter, velocity transfer function (VTF), has been recently shown to correlate with invasive PA impedance. Here, we tested the VTF to evaluate its association with clinical/pulmonary functional indices and RV remodeling in patients in early COPD. We found that elevated VTF mean high frequency modulus was associated with major clinical and functional criteria indicating cardiovascular/respiratory dysfunction, which may link to PH.