ISSN: 1885-5857 Impact factor 2023 7.2
Vol. 77. Num. 6.
Pages 505-506 (June 2024)

Letter to the editor
Diagnosing transthyretin amyloidosis in patients with known genetic cardiomyopathies – opportunities and open questions. Response

Amiloidosis por transtirretina diagnosticada en pacientes con una miocardiopatía previa - oportunidades y preguntas abiertas. Respuesta

Esteban Martín-ÁlvarezabJosé María Larrañaga-MoreiraabMaría Generosa Crepo-LeiroabcRoberto Barriales-Villaabc
Rev Esp Cardiol. 2024;77:504-510.1016/j.rec.2023.11.012
Mihnea Casian, Ruxandra Jurcut

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To the Editor,

We would like to thank Casian et al. for their interest in our article,1 and we will try to address some of the issues raised.

Although the family study in the first 2 cases did not identify more carriers, the TNNC1 p.Ala8Val and MYL3 p.Met173Val variants have been reported in other families with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and functional studies have been reported that support their pathogenicity.2,3

False positives of cardiac scintigraphy occur mostly in other types of amyloid cardiomyopathy, but also in recent myocardial infarction or hydroxychloroquine cardiotoxicity. Blood pool could be interpreted as a false positive, and consequently single photon emission computed tomography is recommended to confirm uptake.4 We acknowledge that false positive cases have been reported in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,5 but unlike ours, those did not show the red flags or imaging findings expected in cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis, such as apical sparing in speckle-tracking or high T1/extracellular volume.4 Our first case had a chronic coronary syndrome but not recent myocardial infarction, and transthyretin amyloidosis deposits were confirmed in endomyocardial biopsy.1 Currently, a noninvasive diagnosis of cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis is accepted when the clinical picture is compatible and there is grade ≥ 2 uptake in cardiac scintigraphy in the absence of monoclonal gammopathy.4

Finally, tafamidis 61mg was initiated in the first and second cases. In the third case, it was not initiated because the patient refused to attempt histological confirmation.

FUNDING

No funding was received for this study.

STATEMENT ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

No artificial intelligence tools were used in this study.

AUTHORS’ CONTRIBUTIONS

E. Martín-Álvarez, R. Barriales-Villa and J.M. Larrañaga-Moreira designed and wrote the manuscript. M.G. Crespo-Leiro critically reviewed the manuscript.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

J.M. Larrañaga-Moreira, M.G. Crespo Leiro, and R. Barriales-Villa report they received funding from Pfizer to attend conferences. M.G. Crespo-Leiro received funding from Pfizer at her institution to participate in a clinical trial. R. Barriales-Villa has performed consultancy work for Pfizer, Alnylam, and Akcea.

REFERENCES
[1]
E. Martín-Álvarez, J.M. Larrañaga-Moreira, G. Barge-Caballero, et al.
Diagnosis of transthyretin amyloidosis in patients with established cardiomyopathy.
[2]
N.M. Cordina, C.K. Liew, D.A. Gell, et al.
Effects of calcium binding and the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy A8V mutation on the dynamic equilibrium between closed and open conformations of the regulatory N-domain of isolated cardiac troponin C.
Biochemistry., (2013), 52 pp. 1950-1962
[3]
W. Huang, D. Szczesna-Cordary.
Molecular mechanisms of cardiomyopathy phenotypes associated with myosin light chain mutations.
J Muscle Res Cell Motil., (2015), 36 pp. 433
[4]
P. García-Pavía, C. Rapezzi, Y. Adler, et al.
Diagnosis and treatment of cardiac amyloidosis: a position statement of the ESC Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases.
Eur Heart J., (2021), 42 pp. 1554-1568
[5]
E.B. Schafer, Z. Tushak, C.R. Trankle, et al.
False-Positive 99mTechnetium-Pyrophosphate Scintigraphy in Two Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
Circ Heart Fail., (2021), 14 pp. e007558
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