Prognostic value of late gadolinium enhancement in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: a meta-analysis

AIM To assess systematically the prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). MATERIALS AND METHODS The full text of studies of the clinical efficacy of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in ARVC was retrieved in multiple databases. Stata 14 was adopted for meta-analysis and bias analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 statistic. RESULTS After exclusions, 561 patients were included in five studies, and the eligibility criteria were met. The meta-analysis suggested that there was a significant difference between LGE positive and negative patients with ARVC in all-cause mortality (relative risk [RR] = 4.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41, 16.23, p=0.012; p for heterogeneity = 0.692, I2 = 0%); major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (RR=2.48, 95% CI = 1.24, 4.96, p=0.010; p for heterogeneity = 0.596, I2 = 0%); ventricular tachycardia (RR=3.13, 95% CI = 1.69, 5.78, p CONCLUSION LGE in ARVC patients is a predictor of all-cause mortality and MACE.