European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) position paper: Multimodality imaging in pericardial disease
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Published on: January 14, 2014
Bernard Cosyns1, Sven Plein2, Petros Nihoyanopoulos3
1Department of Cardiology, Universtair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Centrum Voor Hart-en Vaatziekten and CHIREC, 101 Laarbeeklaan, 1090 Brussels, Belgium bcosyns@gmail.com.
Insights
Diagnosing and managing pericardial diseases can be challenging. This document outlines the roles of echocardiography, cardiac CT, and cardiovascular MRI in guiding clinical decisions for these common heart conditions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Pericardial diseases are common and associated with significant morbidity and mortality.
- Imaging these conditions presents diagnostic challenges in clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To delineate the specific roles of various imaging modalities in the diagnosis and management of pericardial diseases.
- To guide the selection of appropriate imaging techniques based on clinical context.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature and clinical guidelines.
- Discussion of multimodality imaging approaches including echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography (CT), and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).
Main Results:
- Each imaging modality (echocardiography, cardiac CT, CMR) offers complementary information.
- The choice of imaging is dictated by the patient's clinical presentation and suspected condition.
Conclusions:
- Multimodality imaging is essential for effective management of pericardial diseases.
- Understanding the strengths of each technique optimizes diagnostic accuracy and patient care.
Abstract:
Although pericardial diseases are common in the daily clinical practice and can result in a significant morbidity and mortality, imaging of patients with suspected or known pericardial disorders remain challenging. Multimodality imaging is part of the management of pericardial diseases. Echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance are often used as complementary imaging modalities. The choice of one or multiple imaging modalities is driven by the clinical context or conditions of the patient. The scope of the present document is to highlight the respective role of each technique according to the clinical context in the diagnosis and management of pericardial diseases.
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