PURPOSE: Delayed enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance (DE-CMR) can 
detect cardiac scarring and has the potential to visualize the progression of 
myocardial remodeling. We determined whether DE-CMR can predict cardiac events 
in dilated cardiomyopathy patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transthoracic echocardiography, coronary arteriography, 
and DE-CMR studies were performed in 60 consecutive dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) 
patients. Percent delayed enhancement (%DE) was determined as the ratio of the 
area showing delayed enhancement to the total myocardial area in three 
short-axis views. Patients were classified as advanced group (Group A) when %DE 
was 10% or higher, and as non-advanced group (Group NA) when %DE was less than 
10%. The incidence of cardiac events and the clinical history were compared 
between Group A and Group NA.
RESULTS: There were 11 patients in Group A and 49 patients in Group NA. The 
incidence of cardiac events was significantly higher in Group A (36%; 4/11 
patients) than in Group NA (2.0%; 1/49 patients) (log rank, p=0.0001).
CONCLUSION: DE-CMR is a useful tool to predict cardiac events in DCM patients.