Medscape: Spherical heart may predict heart disease

A new study found that increased heart sphericity was associated with an increased risk for cardiomyopathy (heart disease), heart failure and atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat.)

Richard Becker, MD, professor of medicine in the UC College of Medicine, was not involved in the study and provided analysis to Medscape.

"The main caveat is translating the information directly to patient care," Becker said. "Near-term yield could include using the spherical calculation in routine MRI of the heart, and based on the findings, following patients more closely if there is an abnormal shape. Or performing an MRI and targeted gene testing if there is a family history of cardiomyopathy or [of] an abnormal shape of the heart."

Becker added that it will be important to validate the findings in larger patient populations and evalute how they are affected by patient and environmental factors.

"The study was well done and may serve as a foundation for future research," Becker said. "The investigators used several powerful tools, including MRI, genomics, and [artificial intelligence] to draw their conclusions. This is precisely the way that 'big data' should be used — in a complementary fashion."

Read the Medscape article. (Note: Subscription or login may be needed to access full article.)