Early Detection of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Exclusion Criteria

• •Age \< 18 years
• •Pregnancy
• •Mechanical ventilation
• •Acute or chronic renal failure (creatinine clearance \< 30 ml/min or requiring renal replacement therapy)
• •Inability to perform MRI (i.e. claustrophobia, severe obesity (\> 150 kg), device incompatible with MRI)
• •Significant arrhythmia that precludes adequate ECG-gating for the MRI (i.e. atrial fibrillation with highly variable cycle lengths)
• •Prior heart or lung transplantation
• •Left ventricular systolic (ejection fraction \< 50%) or diastolic failure (based on Framingham criteria for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction)
• •Significant left-sided valvular disease (≥ moderate aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis, aortic regurgitation, mitral regurgitation) or prior valve surgery