Amyloid-Related Heart Failure Now Detectable with Imaging Test

A type of heart failure caused by a build-up of amyloid can be accurately diagnosed and prognosticated with an imaging technique, eliminating the need for a biopsy, according to a multicenter study in which BUSM researchers participated. The findings of the study “Multicenter Study of Planar Technetium 99m Pyrophosphate Cardiac Imaging: Predicting Survival in Patients with ATTR Cardiac Amyloidosis?” were published in JAMA Cardiology.

Associate Professor in the Division of Cariovascular Medicine and Radiology Frederick L. Ruberg, MD and Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep and Critical Care Medicine John L Berk, MD were part of the team led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center. The technique may also detect the condition—called transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA)—before it progresses to advanced heart failure. ATTR-CA is one of many types of amyloidosis, a condition in which a protein breaks down and forms fibrils that deposit in organs and tissues, eventually causing the organs to fail. In ATTR-CA, the transthyretin protein breaks down and forms amyloid fibrils, which mainly accumulate in the heart, disrupting its function. Different types of amyloidosis require different treatments, so obtaining an accurate diagnosis is critical.

Learn more about the study.