Advanced tissue characterization in non-ischemic cardiomyopathies using contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.
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 in 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 obtained 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.
Shehab
Abdullah M
AM
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. a.shehab@uaeu.ac.ae
Strohm
Oliver
O
D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000473:pathology*
D003287:Contrast Media