Cor Pulmonale Parvus in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Emphysema: The MESA COPD Study

The classic cardiovascular complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is cor pulmonale or right ventricular (RV) enlargement. Most studies of cor pulmonale were conducted decades ago. This study sought to examine RV changes in contemporary COPD and emphysema using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. We performed a case-control study nested predominantly in 2 general population studies of 310 participants with COPD and control subjects 50 to 79 years of age with ≥10 pack-years of smoking who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease. RV volumes and mass were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. COPD and COPD severity were defined according to standard spirometric criteria. The percentage of emphysema was defined as the percentage of lung regions