The role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in heart failure.
Noninvasive imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis of heart failure, assessment of prognosis, and monitoring of therapy. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) offers a comprehensive assessment of heart failure patients and is now the gold standard imaging technique to assess myocardial anatomy, regional and global function, and viability. Furthermore, it allows assessment of perfusion and acute tissue injury (edema and necrosis), whereas in nonischemic heart failure, fibrosis, infiltration, and iron overload can be detected. The information derived from CMR often reveals the underlying etiology of heart failure, and its high measurement accuracy makes it an ideal technique for monitoring disease progression and the effects of treatment. Evidence on the prognostic value of CMR-derived parameters in heart failure is rapidly emerging. This review summarizes the advantages of CMR for patients with heart failure and its important role in key areas.
University of Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Theodoros D
TD
Karamitsos
Jane M
JM
Francis
Saul
S
Myerson
Joseph B
JB
Selvanayagam
Stefan
S
Neubauer
D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis; D018450:Disease Progression; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000175:diagnosis; D011379:Prognosis; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology