Usefulness of Strain Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Exposure of Mild Left Ventricular Systolic Abnormalities in Pectus Excavatum

CMR longitudinal strain analysis detects subtle left ventricular systolic dysfunction in pectus excavatum patients that conventional ejection fraction measurements miss. Study of 50 PEX patients showed reduced LV global longitudinal strain compared to controls despite normal LVEF, suggesting strain imaging may improve surgical candidacy assessment.