The Role of Positron Emission Tomography in Evaluation of Alterations in Cardiac Efficiency after Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

摘要

At present, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is considered an important step forward in the treatment of patients with end-stage drug-refractory heart failure. Several large randomized trials have shown the sustained beneficial effects of CRT on heart failure symptoms, quality of life, exercise capacity, and left ventricular (LV) function. Moreover, the CARE-HF trial demonstrated superior survival with CRT, as compared with optimized medical therapy. This has resulted in a class I recommendation in patients with severe heart failure (NYHA class III-IV), depressed LV function (LV ejection fraction <35%) and wide QRS complex (> 120 ms)#