Passive external cardiac constraint improves segmental left ventricular wall motion and reduces akinetic area in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy

Objective: To verify changes in left ventricular (LV) volumes and regional myocardial wall motion after implantation of a textile cardiac support device (CSD) for passive external constraint in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Methods: In nine male patients participating in a non-randomized clinical trial LV volumes were determined and the segmental LV wall motion was studied by contrast-enhanced electron-beam CT in a sectionwise manner at three ventricular levels (base, middle and apex of ventricle) before and 32±6 months after CSD implantation. In 16 myocardial segments ejection fraction and wall thickening were measured semiautomatically after drawing the myocardial contours. The wall motion score index was calculated based on semiquantitative visual grading in each segment. Results: The global LV volumes decreased significantly from 304.3±90.9 to 231.5±103.9 ml at end-diastole and from 239.7±83.7 to 164.0±97.7 at end-systole (P