Echocardiographic Red Flags in Wild-Type Transthyretin Amyloidosis: Sex-Specific Gaps for Wall Thickness and Left Ventricular Mass

<b>Background:</b> Wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRwt) diagnosis remains challenging. Echocardiographic "red flags" play a significant role in raising diagnostic suspicion. <b>Methods:</b> Retrospective study including 33 patients diagnosed with ATTRwt. All patients underwent comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation focusing on the red flags for ATTRwt. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was defined as interventricular septal wall thickness (IVST) ≥ 12 mm and/or LV mass indexed for body surface area (LVMI) ≥ 115 g/m<sup>2</sup> in men and ≥ 95 g/m<sup>2</sup> in women. <b>Results:</b> Relative wall thickness > 0.42 and early diastolic myocardial velocity < 7 cm/s were detected in 100% of patients. Severe diastolic dysfunction (grade ≥ 3) (72.7%), apical sparing (36.4%), granular sparkling pattern (30.3%), and pericardial effusion (39.4%) were also observed. Females were younger than males (median age 68 vs. 74.5 years), and IVST ≥ 12 mm was lower in females than in males (64.4% vs. 100%, respectively, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The combined criterion of IVST ≥ 12 mm in men and LVMI ≥ 95 g/m<sup>2</sup> in women was encountered in 100% of the global cohort. <b>Conclusions:</b> IVST is a good predictor of LVH in males but shows limited sensitivity for ATTRwt in females; a gender-differenced approach (IVST for men and LVMI for women) might better stratify for ATTRwt suspicion.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Life
Published
2026-02-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/life16020237
Primary Topic
Amyloidosis: Diagnosis, Treatment, Outcomes
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Echocardiographic Red Flags in Wild-Type Transthyretin Amyloidosis: Sex-Specific Gaps for Wall Thickness and Left Ventricular Mass

Antonina Giammanco, Maurizio Averna, Federica Bellini, Gianluca Di Rosa et al.
Life
Amyloidosis: Diagnosis, Treatment, Outcomes
article

Echocardiographic Red Flags in Wild-Type Transthyretin Amyloidosis: Sex-Specific Gaps for Wall Thickness and Left Ventricular Mass

Antonina Giammanco, Maurizio Averna, Federica Bellini, Gianluca Di Rosa, Emilio Nardi, Carlo Maria Barbagallo, Davide Noto
article en

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> Wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRwt) diagnosis remains challenging. Echocardiographic "red flags" play a significant role in raising diagnostic suspicion. <b>Methods:</b> Retrospective study including 33 patients diagnosed with ATTRwt. All patients underwent comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation focusing on the red flags for ATTRwt. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was defined as interventricular septal wall thickness (IVST) ≥ 12 mm and/or LV mass indexed for body surface area (LVMI) ≥ 115 g/m<sup>2</sup> in men and ≥ 95 g/m<sup>2</sup> in women. <b>Results:</b> Relative wall thickness > 0.42 and early diastolic myocardial velocity < 7 cm/s were detected in 100% of patients. Severe diastolic dysfunction (grade ≥ 3) (72.7%), apical sparing (36.4%), granular sparkling pattern (30.3%), and pericardial effusion (39.4%) were also observed. Females were younger than males (median age 68 vs. 74.5 years), and IVST ≥ 12 mm was lower in females than in males (64.4% vs. 100%, respectively, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The combined criterion of IVST ≥ 12 mm in men and LVMI ≥ 95 g/m<sup>2</sup> in women was encountered in 100% of the global cohort. <b>Conclusions:</b> IVST is a good predictor of LVH in males but shows limited sensitivity for ATTRwt in females; a gender-differenced approach (IVST for men and LVMI for women) might better stratify for ATTRwt suspicion.

LifeVol. 16(2)
Department of Health (ES), Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IT), National Research Council (IT)
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 70%
Amyloidosis: Diagnosis, Treatment, Outcomes
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.