MR imaging of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia

MR imaging is helpful in the management of patients in whom the diagnosis of ARVD or RVOTT is suspected. Careful attention to cardiac rate control will minimize or eliminate ventricular extrasystolic beats during examination, which will improve image quality and confidence in diagnosis. Use of thin-section cine gradient echo acquisition provides a means of identifying regional wall motion abnormalities, characteristic of the regional dysfunction in these diseases. Furthermore, application of spin echo or double inversion recovery imaging may provide visualization of abnormally thin or fat-infiltrated regions of right ventricular free wall myocardium, providing additional diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of these diseases.