Table 1 Common clinical questions answerable by a standardized 30-minute CMR exam
Common clinical questions | Extended questions answered CMR |
|---|---|
Why is there heart failure or cardiomyopathy? | What are the left and right ventricular volumes and ejection fractions?† Is there infarct scar, or is it non-ischemic disease? What type of any infiltrate is present (e.g., sarcoid granuloma, amyloid protein, sphingolipid, iron)? |
What is the substrate for ventricular arrhythmia? | What type of any myocardial or structural heart disease is present? |
What is the extent of ischemic and viable myocardium? | How much myocardium is infarcted? How much myocardium is ischemic? Is there concomitant non-ischemic myocardial disease? Is there significant mitral regurgitation?* |
Is there ischemic or non-ischemic injury? | Is the troponin elevation due to inflammation or ischemic injury? |