Cardiovascular magnetic resonance of myocarditis

Within the past decade, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has led to unprecedented growth in our understanding of myocarditis. From what began as a diagnostic tool for assessing ventricular function, CMR has transitioned into visualizing changes that occur in myocardial tissue during inflammation, including edema, hyperemia/inflammation, and fibrosis. In terms of research applications, the entire spectrum ranging from subclinical to fulminant myocarditis can be visualized, as well as unmasking myocarditis from other cardiomyopathies. The impact of CMR in clinical applications is best exemplified by recent findings demonstrating that CMR is a leading diagnostic tool and may perhaps even be the method of choice for establishing a diagnosis of myocarditis in Germany. With the advent of an International Consensus Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in Myocarditis and large-scale multicenter registries on CMR-based visualization of myocarditis, further advances aimed at improving clinical decision making and guiding patient therapy are expected.