Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Inherited Heart Conditions

Heart Lung Circ. 2020 Apr;29(4):584-593. doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2019.12.008. Epub 2019 Dec 24.

Abstract

Imaging modalities are central to diagnosis and prognostication of confirmed or suspected inherited cardiomyopathies. The availability and use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to supplement traditional modalities has increased substantially and has several advantages over traditional imaging techniques. CMR is unique in its ability to easily acquire images in any plane. Moreover, advances in CMR sequences have begun to enable characterisation of the myocardium without the need for invasive biopsy and has provided a major step forward in the understanding of inherited heart disease pathology and genotype-phenotype interactions. This review summarises the current role of CMR in inherited cardiomyopathies depending on their genotype and phenotype status, using arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as prototypical examples.

Keywords: ARVC; Cardiac MRI; HCM; Mapping; Tissue characterisation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia* / diagnostic imaging
  • Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia* / genetics
  • Genetic Diseases, Inborn* / diagnostic imaging
  • Genetic Diseases, Inborn* / genetics
  • Genotype*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Myocardium*