Validation of CMR Against Invasive Haemodynamics in Patients With HFpEF

Heart failure (HF) currently affects app. 2% of the western population and app. 10% of people \>75 years. In about 50% of patients with symptomatic HF ejection fraction (EF) is preserved (HF-PEF). Once patients develop symptoms, the prognosis is poor with 25% mortality at 1 year and 50% mortality at 5 years. HFpEF is one of the major unresolved areas in clinical cardiology. The diagnosis of HFpEF remains a diagnosis of exclusion and currently no non-invasive measure provides a clear diagnosis. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) provides non invasive and radiation free evaluation of heart structure and function. New CMR parameters offer the possibility to describe the underlying pathological and physiological changes associated with HFpEF. The investigators propose to undertake the first systematic comparison between a CMR protocol and invasive haemodynamics as the best possible gold standard, as well as define the histopathological drivers in myocardial biopsies. The investigators will also examine the relations with tissue and serological biomarkers implicated in HFpEF and the role with standard and novel parameters by echocardiography. If successful, this study will provide tools for a reliable and accurate non-invasive characterization of patients with HFpEF, supporting the diagnosis and grading the severity of disease. This study will provide a reference basis for future diagnostic algorithms in HFpEF, both, for CMR and echocardiography, but also for their relative value in comparison to blood markers or invasive testing. In addition to a new pathway to acess the effects of current and novel therapeutic interventions, the investigators see the greatest potential in identifying a disease stage where the myocardial injury may be reversible.