Diagnostic Testing for Amyloidosis-3. Amyloidosis Testing Options

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Video Summary

Dr. Jan Griffin discusses the complexities of diagnosing amyloidosis, emphasizing the need for precise differentiation due to overlapping symptoms with other heart conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Initial suspicion arises from various tests, including echocardiograms and electrocardiograms. Non-biopsy diagnosis for transthyretin amyloid (ATTR) cardiac amyloidosis requires positive pyrophosphate (PYP) scans and absence of monoclonal proteins. However, positve PYP scans can sometimes be misleading. For amyloidosis associated with monoclonal proteins, further tests including hematology consultations and biopsies are necessary. Echocardiograms are important for initial detection but lack the specificity to differentiate between different types of cardiac amyloidosis. Cardiac MRI offers high-resolution imaging to assess structural abnormalities and myocardial tissue characteristics but also does not fully distinguish between the types. Accurate diagnosis often requires comprehensive testing and considerations of several biomarkers, which are also essential for disease staging and prognosis.

Keywords

amyloidosis diagnosis

transthyretin amyloid

cardiac MRI

echocardiograms

biomarkers