Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
The techniques for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are established worldwide and the quantification of heart function (in pumping blood around the body) and the volume of the chambers of the heart. MRI is now part of routine clinical examinations. Nevertheless, there are still location-related differences in the way these images are captured and in analysing the results.
Furthermore, in addition to the established measurements for determining the function of the heart muscle, there have recently been new approaches to characterizing the heart muscle and for seeing and calculating the dynamics of blood flow.
In order to perform larger studies that involve multiple different sites, there is a need to standardize MRI techniques and to establish new innovative techniques. This will also enable patients in a clinical setting to change their diagnostic center without the risk of loss or misinterpretation of results.
Who can participate?
Adult healthy volunteers, and adult patients with hemodynamic pathologies (such as aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease, aortic insufficiency, and connective tissue disease of the aorta) or systemic disease (such as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, muscular dystrophy, and inflammatory heart disease)
What does the study involve?
20 healthy volunteers will have an MRI scan of the heart at 5 different sites to establish and standardize the measurements for function, heart muscle composition, and blood flow dynamics. The images for each individual between the 5 sites will be used to identify differences in imaging and to identify factors influencing the capture and evaluation of these images. By identifying potential factors, these differences may then be reduced. In the case where influencing factors cannot be avoided, algorithms will be created so that a comparison of the measurements of the different MRI devices will be standardised across all 5 locations.
800 patients with certain heart diseases who have undergone an MRI scan at a single site will have their images analysed. For these patients abnormalities of the measurements are expected as a result of their illness. As these diseases are not common, a sufficient number of patients can only be recruited through multicenter studies. The precision and accuracy of the MRI measurements for these patients will be assessed.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
All participants will get a functional analysis of their heart. As the access to cardiac MRI is still limited, this provides additional information for the participants. The risks are relatively low, as there are only a few side effects known (such as dizziness) that can occur during a cardiac MRI scan when complying with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In case of adverse events such as dizziness during the scan, the scan can be interrupted at any time or at the volunteer’s request. After leaving the scanner, the dizziness usually fades without needing any further intervention. No contrast agent or other drug is administered during the study.
Where is the study run from?
Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC) cooperation between the Charité University Medicine Berlin (Germany) and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (Germany), and HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch (Germany)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
From January 2019 to July 2024
Who is funding the study?
German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) (Germany)
Who is the main contact?
Prof Jeanette Schulz-Menger
stephanie.wiesemann@charite.de
Trial website
Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Prof Jeanette Schulz-Menger
ORCID ID
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3100-1092
Contact details
Charité University Medicine Berlin Campus Buch
Working Group Kardiale MRT
Lindenberger Weg 80
Berlin
13125
Germany
+49-30-450540617
stephanie.wiesemann@charite.de
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
Nil known
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Nil known
Protocol/serial number
DZHK study (internal study code)
Study information
Scientific title
Evaluation of the precision and accuracy of quantifications of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging exams
Acronym
Study hypothesis
There is no difference in quantitative parameters of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging at magnetic resonance imaging scanner at different sites in healthy volunteers and patients with certain pathologies.
Ethics approval
Approved 05/09/2019, the ethical board of Charité – Berlin University of Medicine (Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; +49 30 450 517222; ethikkommission@charite.de), ref: EA1/183/19
Study design
Multi-centre observational cohort study
Primary study design
Observational
Secondary study design
Cohort study
Trial setting
Hospitals
Trial type
Diagnostic
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet
Condition
Cardiac disease, aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease, aortic insufficiency, connective tissue disease of the aorta, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, muscular dystrophy, inflammatory heart disease
Intervention
Healthy volunteers will have 5 cardiac MRI exams (at each different centre) and patients will each have 1 cardiac MRI exam. The study will use different imaging techniques for measurements of function, volumes, mass, and hemodynamics (forward, backward flow, regurgitation fraction, and wall shear stress) of the heart and myocardial tissue differentiation (T1-weighted, T2-weighted, T2*-weighted times, fat-water- measurements, spectroscopy). All scanners are 3 Tesla scanners by Siemens (Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany).
Intervention type
Device
Phase
Not Applicable
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
1. Quantitatively detectable cardiovascular MRI measurement methods of function, volumes, mass, hemodynamics (forward, backward flow, regurgitation fraction, wall shear stress) and myocardial differentiation (T1, T2, T2 * times, fat-water- measurements, spectroscopy) on the MRI scanner of the different sites measured through analysis of MRI scans taken at baseline
Secondary outcome measures
1. Quantitatively detectable cardiovascular MRI measurement methods of the function volumes, mass, hemodynamics (forward, reverse flow, regurgitation fraction, wall shear stress) and myocardial differentiation (T1, T2, T2 * times, fat-water images, spectroscopy) for MRI investigations carried out twice in a row at the same location measured through analysis of MRI scans taken at baseline
2. Image quality measured as a semiquantitative score, as well as a calculation of contrast-to-noise and signal-to-noise ratio of the measurements on the MRI scanner at the different sites measured through analysis of MRI scans taken at baseline
3. Duration (min) of acquisition on the MRI scanner at the different sites measured through analysis of MRI scans taken at baseline
Overall trial start date
01/01/2019
Overall trial end date
31/07/2024
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Aged >18 years
2. Written consent
3. Healthy volunteers, patients with hemodynamic pathologies (aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease, aortic insufficiency, and connective tissue disease of the aorta), or systemic disease (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, muscular dystrophy, and inflammatory heart disease)
Participant type
Mixed
Age group
Adult
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
20 healthy volunteers and 800 patients (25 patients per pathology per site): 500 patients with hemodynamic pathologies; 300 patients with systemic disease
Participant exclusion criteria
1. Healthy volunteers with any known cardiac disease
2. Contraindication to cardiovascular magnetic resonance
Recruitment start date
01/08/2020
Recruitment end date
01/06/2023
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Germany
Trial participating centre
Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin
Neurology Department
Lindenberger Weg 80
Berlin
13125
Germany
Trial participating centre
Charité Campus Mitte
Neuroscience Department
Charitépl. 1,
Berlin
10117
Germany
Trial participating centre
Charité Campus Virchow Klinikum
Augustenburger Pl. 1
Berlin
13353
Germany
Trial participating centre
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC)
Charitépl. 1
Berlin
10117
Germany
Trial participating centre
HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch
Department of Cardiology and Nephrology
Schwanebecker Chaussee 50
Berlin
13125
Germany
Sponsor information
Organisation
Charité
Sponsor details
Working Group Kardiale MRT
Lindenberger Weg 80
Berlin
13125
Germany
+49-30-450540617
stephanie.wiesemann@charite.de
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
Research organisation
Funder name
Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislaufforschung
Alternative name(s)
German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislaufforschung e.V., Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung e. V., DZHK
Funding Body Type
private sector organisation
Funding Body Subtype
Other non-profit organizations
Location
Germany
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
We intend to publish the results in a high-impacted peer-reviewed journal.
IPD sharing statement:
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not expected to be made available due to german data law regulations.
Intention to publish date
31/07/2024
Participant level data
Not expected to be available
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list