Advances in Quantitative Tissue Characterization in Myocarditis

AbstractPurpose of ReviewMyocarditis is a heterogeneous disease with variable histologic and clinical presentation. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging recently emerged as the imaging modality of choice in myocarditis. This review summarizes recent findings and future directions in this field.Recent FindingsAdvanced quantitative T1 mapping and T2 mapping methods have the technical advantage to detect diffuse myocardial injury in myocarditis, which was not adequately addressed by standard, semiquantitative CMR techniques so far. Recent studies demonstrated that the technical advantages of T1 and T2 mapping techniques improve the diagnostic accuracy and assessment of disease activity in myocarditis compared to standard CMR techniques using the Lake Louise Criteria for a CMR-based diagnosis of myocarditis.SummaryQuantitative tissue characterization by T1 and T2 mapping techniques will further enhance the value of CMR in myocarditis.

Source: Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports - February 5, 2017 Category: Radiology Source Type: research