Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of myocardial and pericardial disease

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to be an ideal noninvasive tool for imaging and diagnosing myocardial and pericardial diseases. In dil ated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, MRI is suitable for the diagnosis and quantification of ventricular volume, stroke volume, and myocardial mass. Recent developments in the area of fast imaging techniques and MR contrast agents rapidly are increasing the utility of MRI for studying and assessing myocardial diseases. MRI may become a helpful technique with which to diag nose myocarditis and myocardial involvement in amyloidosis and sarcoidosis. Contrast-enhanced MRI also can be used for patients who have undergone hea rt transplantation to assess early signs of transplant rejection by improve d contrast between normal and pathologic myocardium, For pericardial diseas es, MRI provides an exact evaluation of the pericardial thickness, and it i s a very sensitive technique for identifying pericardial effusions. Differe ntiation between hemorrhagic, serous, or chylous pericardial effusions usua lly can be made by using the typical signal behavior on T1-weighted and Ta- weighted sequences. Due to its greater field of view and its ability to eva luate functionally the regional ventricular and atrial motion abnormalities in the typical tissue pattern, MRI has a significant potential in the eval uation of pericardial inflammation and constrictive pericarditis. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.