Advanced tissue characterization in non-ischemic cardiomyopathies using contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

ABSTRACT

Cardio-vascular magnetic resonance imaging [CMR] can be used to obtain integrated information on both cardiac function and on advanced tissue characteristics. Using contrast-enhanced techniques, highly diagnostic information on tissue viability, inflammatory changes, and on storage diseases can be obtained within a 45-minute examination. The combination of functional information [using steady-state free precession sequences cine techniques], assessment of myocardial edema [using T2 based techniques], of reversible injury [for example its inflammatory diseases; using T1-based techniques], and irreversible injury [for example in infarction and regional fibrosis, using late gadolinium enhancement techniques] allows disease-specific and prognostic information to be obrained in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Contrast-enhanced CMR allows the accurate diagnosis of non-ischemic cardiomyopathies, identification of primary and secondary cardiomyopathies, and can be used to guide therapy, thus avoiding the need for invasive measures such as endomyocardial biopsy in many cases