The anatomic and functional characteristics of the aorta, which may at first glance appear relatively straightforward, are now recognized to be complex. Recent insights from both modern imaging technology and better understanding of the hydraulic principles associated with the variety…
The development of radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation has led to an increased interest in the accurate determination of pulmonary vein anatomy and left atrial fibrosis assessment to help plan the procedure and to monitor for postablation…
The number of adults with congenital heart disease living in the United States is estimated to be at least 1.4 million, and at least 300,000 of these people have complex forms of congenital heart disease. The majority of these patients…
The role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in the evaluation of infants and children with congenital heart disease is now widely accepted as a result of ongoing technologic advances and the growing realization of its clinical value. Improvements in CMR…
Accurate noninvasive assessment of right ventricular (RV) mass and systolic function is important in several pathologies, such as grown-up congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, valvular heart disease, and arrhythmogenic RV cardiomyopathy. Right ventricular function is also a…
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) provides a noninvasive and three-dimensional (3D) assessment of masses involving the cardiac chambers, the pericardium, and extracardiac structures. CMR has become an established method to yield complementary diagnostic information and to guide cardiac surgeons in the…
Cardiac transplant recipients require lifelong surveillance for common and life-threatening posttransplant complications such as acute cardiac allograft rejection (ACAR) and coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Imaging plays an important role in such screening initiatives because most posttransplant complications have long subclinical…
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common genetic cardiomyopathy, is present in potentially as many as 1 : 200 individuals in the general population, and is caused by over 1400 mutations in at least 11 genes encoding proteins of the cardiac sarcomere. This…
Myocarditis (from Greek/Latin “inflammation of the heart muscle”) is commonly used for viral myocarditis, although there are numerous other heart conditions leading to myocardial inflammation, including acute ischemic injury, infiltrative diseases, allergies, and toxic or mechanical injuries. Thus inflammatory tissue…
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a heritable heart muscle disease characterized by fibrofatty replacement of, predominantly, the right ventricular (RV) myocardium, which predisposes patients to potentially life-threatening arrhythmias and ventricular dysfunction. Affected patients typically present between the second and…