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Cardiovascular imaging in clinical and experimental acute infectious myocarditis
Jamshid Shirani1, Arzu Ilercil, Madhulika Chandra
1Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA. jshirani@montefiore.org
Insights
Cardiac imaging aids in diagnosing and managing infectious myocarditis, a serious heart condition. Advanced techniques like echocardiography and MRI are crucial for identifying causes and guiding treatment, even in animal models.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Acute myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by various pathogens.
- Infections leading to myocarditis can result in severe outcomes, including congestive heart failure and mortality.
- The diagnosis and management of infectious myocarditis have historically presented challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the critical role of cardiac imaging in the diagnosis and management of infectious myocarditis.
- To illustrate the utility of echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear imaging in specific myocarditis cases.
- To explore the application of cardiac imaging in preclinical research using animal models.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature and clinical practices in infectious myocarditis.
- Discussion of specific case examples including chagasic myocarditis, bacterial myocarditis, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related cardiomyopathy, and peripartum cardiomyopathy.
- Exploration of advanced cardiac imaging techniques such as echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and nuclear imaging.
Main Results:
- Cardiac imaging modalities provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic information in infectious myocarditis.
- Imaging helps differentiate causes and assess the extent of myocardial damage.
- The application of these techniques extends to understanding disease mechanisms in small animal models.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac imaging is an indispensable tool for the comprehensive evaluation of infectious myocarditis.
- Advanced imaging techniques improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic decision-making.
- Preclinical imaging studies offer insights into disease pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.
Abstract:
Acute myocarditis can be caused by a variety of organisms. Congestive heart failure and death may occur as a consequence of these infections. In recent years cardiac imaging, by echocardiography and magnetic resonance and nuclear imaging has become a useful adjunct in the diagnosis and management of infectious myocarditis. Specific examples of their usefulness will be given in the discussions of chagasic myocarditis, bacterial myocarditis, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and peripartum cardiomyopathy. Finally, we explore the exciting area of cardiac imaging of small animals, such as mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi.