Role of Imaging in Cardiomyopathies

Vincenzo Castiglione; Alberto Aimo; Giancarlo Todiere; Andrea Barison; Iacopo Fabiani; Giorgia Panichella; Dario Genovesi; Lucrezia Bonino; Alberto Clemente; Filippo Cademartiri; Alberto Giannoni; Claudio Passino; Michele Emdin; Giuseppe Vergaro

doi:10.15420/cfr.2022.26

Role of Imaging in Cardiomyopathies

Card Fail Rev. 2023 May 25:9:e08. doi: 10.15420/cfr.2022.26. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Vincenzo Castiglione^{1

2}, Alberto Aimo^{1

2}, Giancarlo Todiere¹, Andrea Barison^{1

2}, Iacopo Fabiani¹, Giorgia Panichella¹, Dario Genovesi¹, Lucrezia Bonino¹, Alberto Clemente¹, Filippo Cademartiri¹, Alberto Giannoni^{1

2}, Claudio Passino^{1

2}, Michele Emdin^{1

2}, Giuseppe Vergaro^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Cardiothoracic Department, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio Pisa, Italy.
² Health Science Interdisciplinary Center, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna Pisa, Italy.

Abstract

Imaging has a central role in the diagnosis, classification, and clinical management of cardiomyopathies. While echocardiography is the first-line technique, given its wide availability and safety, advanced imaging, including cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), nuclear medicine and CT, is increasingly needed to refine the diagnosis or guide therapeutic decision-making. In selected cases, such as in transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis or in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, the demonstration of histological features of the disease can be avoided when typical findings are observed at bone-tracer scintigraphy or CMR, respectively. Findings from imaging techniques should always be integrated with data from the clinical, electrocardiographic, biomarker, genetic and functional evaluation to pursue an individualised approach to patients with cardiomyopathy.

Keywords: Imaging; cardiac magnetic resonance; cardiomyopathies; echocardiography; nuclear medicine.

Publication types

Review