Suspected intracardiac masses: evaluation with MR imaging.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Diagnostics
• Radiology

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography is a primary tool for detecting intracardiac masses.
• Echocardiography can sometimes yield equivocal findings, necessitating further diagnostic clarification.
• Distinguishing true cardiac masses from anatomical variants is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of electrocardiographically gated magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in patients with suspected intracardiac masses.
• To assess MR imaging's ability to confirm or exclude cardiac masses identified by 2D echocardiography.
• To determine if MR imaging can differentiate true masses from anatomical variants or other abnormalities.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-four patients with suspected intracardiac masses based on 2D echocardiography underwent MR imaging.
• Electrocardiographically gated MR imaging was employed for enhanced cardiac visualization.
• Clinical follow-up and repeat 2D echocardiography were used to validate MR findings.

Main Results:

• MR imaging confirmed intracardiac masses in 15 patients.
• In 7 patients, MR imaging excluded masses but identified anatomical variants misinterpreted on echocardiography.
• In 12 patients, MR imaging revealed neither masses nor variants, with no definite mass indicated by follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Electrocardiographically gated MR imaging is effective in verifying intracardiac masses detected by 2D echocardiography.
• MR imaging reliably excludes intracardiac masses when findings on 2D echocardiography are equivocal.
• Tissue characterization with MR imaging can add specificity to the diagnosis of cardiac masses.