Cardiac MRI in muscular dystrophy: an overview and future directions

Cardiac complications are a common feature of many muscular dystrophies. Although many modalities (eg, ultrasound) provide exceptional efficacy for early diagnosis, repeated monitoring, and therapeutic management, MRI has become the gold standard for anatomic and functional characterization. An increasing number of studies, especially in the dystrophinopathies, use strain imaging to evaluate function. This article summarizes these studies and attempts to integrate an understanding of other relevant cardiac features (eg, fibrosis) into interpreting this work. Finally, a general roadmap forward is provided as these tools are increasingly used for treatment assessment and tactical patient management in the future.