Figure legends
Figure 1. Differences between group 1 and group 2. (A) Timing
the initiation of the corticosteroids and maintenance dose in patients
with CS. Each blue dot indicates the time from the initiation of
corticosteroids and the maintenance dose in each patient. (B) Comparison
of the increased FDG uptake in the heart detected by the PET/CT scan
between groups 1 and 2 at the time of the CRT upgrade. (C) Defect area
on the myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
(99mTc-tetrofosmin) between the two groups at the time
of the CRT upgrade. CS = cardiac sarcoidosis, CRT = cardiac
resynchronization therapy. FDG = fluorodeoxyglucose, PET/CT = positron
emission tomography/computed tomography, Positive = increased FDG uptake
in myocardium on PET/CT, Negative = not increased FDG uptake in
myocardium on PET/CT.
Septum = septum of left ventricle, Lateral = lateral wall of the left
ventricle, Inferior =, inferior wall of the left ventricle, Anterior =
anterior wall of left ventricle.
Figure 2. The comparison of the echocardiographic response
among the CS patients taking corticosteroids before the CRT upgrade
(group 1), CS patients not taking corticosteroids before the CRT upgrade
(group 2), and non-CS patients (group 3).
CS = cardiac sarcoidosis, LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction,
LVESV = left ventricular end-systolic volume.
Figure 3. The change in the LVESV and LVEF before and after the
CRT upgrade in each group (CS patients taking corticosteroids before the
CRT upgrade [group 1], CS patients not taking corticosteroids before
CRT upgrade [group 1] and non-CS patients [group 3]).
LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction, LVESV = left ventricular
end-systolic volume, pre = before the CRT upgrade, post = six months
after the CRT upgrade.
Figure 4. Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrating the freedom from (A)
the composite endpoint of cardiovascular death and hospitalizations for
worsening heart failure and (B) cardiovascular death after a CRT upgrade
among the CS patients taking corticosteroids before the CRT upgrade
(group 1), CS patients not taking corticosteroid before the CRT upgrade
(group 1), and non-CS patients (group 3).
CS = cardiac sarcoidosis, CRT = cardiac resynchronization therapy.