title: Multimodality imaging in heart failure patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis, assessment of cause and guiding treatment in heart failure. Several modalities are available that are of relevance in patients with heart failure, although echocardiography continues to be the method of choice due to widespread availability, good safety profile and low cost.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Echocardiography is appropriate in diagnosis of heart failure when placed in clinical context and supported by measurement of biomarkers. New methods of diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction are emerging. The role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) continues to expand in assessing cause of heart failure, with simpler methods for assessment of myocardial deformation and extracellular fibrosis. These progressively supplant the use of cardiac catheterization, although the value of myocardial viability assessment is now questionable. As utilization of cardiac resynchronization therapy continues to grow, the role of dyssynchrony beyond the ECG is being re-evaluated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Echocardiography remains at the forefront in heart failure, although CMR is complementary and the role of invasive cardiac catheterization may be diminishing.
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK. rick.steeds@uhb.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Steeds
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000639:trends*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D054144:Heart Failure, Diastolic / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D013318:Stroke Volume