Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

In Vivo Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Structure, Function, Perfusion and Viability Using Cardiac Micro-computed Tomography
Published on: February 16, 2016
Evolving diagnostic and prognostic imaging of the various cardiomyopathies
Javier Sanz1,2
1The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute.
Abstract:
Several noninvasive imaging modalities, particularly cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), have of late provided important diagnostic and prognostic insights into various cardiomyopathies. Myocardial delayed enhancement on CMR after administration of contrast accurately delineates a scar, a powerful marker of poor prognosis in dilated cardiomyopathy. Also in heart failure, loss of integrity of the cardiac sympathetic nervous system, as demonstrated by reduced myocardial uptake of the radioisotope meta-iodo-benzylguanidine with nuclear imaging similarly provides information on outcomes. The presence/absence of a scar on CMR has emerged as an important diagnostic and/or prognostic tool for specific cardiomyopathies, such as Tako-Tsubo, sarcoidosis, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In addition, the quantification of the myocardial parameter T2* on CMR has been validated for accurate quantification of iron myocardial overload and as the strongest predictor for incident heart failure. In these diseases, coronary angiography with computed tomography (CT) may be very useful in ruling out underlying coronary disease noninvasively.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiomyopathy I: Introduction and Classification
Cardiomyopathy II: Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
Cardiomyopathy IV: Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

