Early Detection of Cardiac Amyloidosis Among Patients With Aortic Valve Stenosis.

Due to a lack of therapeutic options, the diagnosis of cardiac (wt)-ATTR amyloidosis was for a long time overshadowed by other diseases and therefore was or still is often diagnosed with considerable delay. On the one hand, it was assumed that the number of cases was significantly lower than the latest studies showed, and on the other hand, until the introduction of new therapeutic agents, there was no approved therapeutic option available, so that the corresponding diagnosis did not result in any therapeutic consequences.

This has changed fundamentally in recent years. For example, analyses of patients who underwent interventional aortic valve replacement (TAVI) as a result of high-grade AS demonstrated cardiac amyloidosis in up to 16% of these patients. Patients with (paradoxical) low flow low gradient (lflg) AS, which is echocardiographically characterized by a low stroke volume index (SVI), are particularly frequently affected. In light of these data, recent publications recommend the use of a low SVI, in conjunction with ECG criteria (low Sokolow-Lyon index) relative to echocardiographically determined left ventricular myocardial mass (SLI/ LVM) as a screening tool for the presence of amyloidosis in the patient population with high-grade aortic valve stenosis.

In patients with mild-to-moderate AS, the prevalence of amyloidosis and the validity of these methods has not yet been clarified. However, identification of these would be, of particular interest, especially in view of the new therapy options, since with the modern therapy methods can only improve prognosis if the diagnosis is made early.

When cardiac amyloidosis is suspected, three procedures are currently used in clinical practice

1. myocardial biopsy (BX)
2. cardiac MRI (CMR)
3. scintigraphy with 99mTc phosphates as tracer (scintigraphy)