title: Severely impaired left ventricular function: tissue characterization by cardiovascular magnetic resonance in a clinical dilemma.
abstract: In patients with symptoms of heart failure, identifying the underlying cause of cardiomyopathy is helpful to establish the diagnosis and to guide therapy. The differential diagnosis of cardiomyopathy can be challenging based on clinical findings. We report the case of a patient who represented a clinical dilemma (cardiac sarcoidosis or ischaemic heart disease), in whom cardiovascular magnetic resonance was a clinically valuable tool to distinguish dual cardiac pathology due to its unique, non-invasive, tissue characterization capabilities.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK. c.bucciarelli-ducci06@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bucciarelli-Ducci
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Locca
authors.forename: Rory
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: O'Hanlon
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oldershaw
authors.forename: Sanjay K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Prasad
mesh_terms: D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology