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Review
. 2022 Jan;1(1):8-22.
doi: 10.1038/s44161-021-00007-3. Epub 2022 Jan 12.

A guide for assessment of myocardial stiffness in health and disease

José Carlos Villalobos Lizardi  1 , Jerome Baranger  1 , Minh B Nguyen  1 , Atef Asnacios  2 , Aimen Malik  1 , Joost Lumens  3 , Luc Mertens  1 , Mark K Friedberg  1 , Craig A Simmons  4 , Mathieu Pernot  5 , Olivier Villemain  6
Affiliations
Review

A guide for assessment of myocardial stiffness in health and disease

José Carlos Villalobos Lizardi et al. Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Myocardial stiffness is an intrinsic property of the myocardium that influences both diastolic and systolic cardiac function. Myocardial stiffness represents the resistance of this tissue to being deformed and depends on intracellular components of the cardiomyocyte, particularly the cytoskeleton, and on extracellular components, such as collagen fibers. Myocardial disease is associated with changes in myocardial stiffness, and its assessment is a key diagnostic marker of acute or chronic pathological myocardial disease with the potential to guide therapeutic decision-making. In this Review, we appraise the different techniques that can be used to estimate myocardial stiffness, evaluate their advantages and disadvantages, and discuss potential clinical applications.

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