Integrated backscatter as a fibrosis marker in the metabolic syndrome: association with biochemical evidence of fibrosis and left ventricular dysfunction.

Aims: Myocardial fibrosis is an important contributor to heterogeneity of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in the metabolic syndrome (MS). Comparison of strain with calibrated integrated backscatter (cIB) and serological fibrosis markers could provide a means to understand the association of cardiac function with markers of fibrosis.

Methods And Results: We studied 172 patients with MS (age 50 ± 13 years) and 61 healthy controls in a prospective, cross-sectional study.