Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices: Are They Truly Still "Enemies"?

The application of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in clinical practice has grown due to technological advancements and expanded clinical indications, highlighting its superior capabilities when compared to echocardiography for the assessment of myocardial tissue. Similarly, the utilization of implantable cardiac electronic devices (CIEDs) has significantly increased in cardiac arrhythmia management, and the requirements of CMR examinations in patients with CIEDs has become more common. However, this type of exam often presents challenges due to safety concerns and image artifacts. Until a few years ago, the presence of CIED was considered an absolute contraindication to CMR. To address these challenges, various technical improvements in CIED technology, like the reduction of the ferromagnetic components, and in CMR examinations, such as the introduction of new sequences, have been developed. Moreover, a rigorous protocol involving multidisciplinary collaboration is recommended for safe CMR examinations in patients with CIEDs, emphasizing risk assessment, careful monitoring during CMR, and post-scan device evaluation. Alternative methods to CMR, such as computed tomography coronary angiography with tissue characterization techniques like dual-energy and photon-counting, offer alternative potential solutions, although their diagnostic accuracy and availability do limit their use. Despite technological advancements, close collaboration and specialized staff training remain crucial for obtaining safe diagnostic CMR images in patients with CIEDs, thus justifying the presence of specialized centers that are equipped to handle these type of exams.

A Novel Approach to Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Scar Characterization in Patients Affected by Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Pilot Study.

Background and Objectives: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has become an essential instrument in the study of cardiomyopathies; it has recently been integrated into the diagnostic workflow for cardiac amyloidosis (CA) with remarkable results. An additional emerging role is the stratification of the arrhythmogenic risk by scar analysis and the possibility of merging these data with electro-anatomical maps. This is made possible by using a software (ADAS 3D, Galgo Medical, Barcelona, Spain) able to provide 3D heart models by detecting fibrosis along the whole thickness of the myocardial walls. Little is known regarding the applications of this software in the wide spectrum of cardiomyopathies and the potential benefits have yet to be discovered. In this study, we tried to apply the ADAS 3D in the context of CA. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospectively analysis of consecutive CMR imaging of patients affected by CA that were treated in our center (Marche University Hospital). Wherever possible, the data were processed with the ADAS 3D software and analyzed for a correlation between the morphometric parameters and follow-up events. The outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, unplanned cardiovascular hospitalizations, sustained ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), permanent reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction, and pacemaker implantation. The secondary outcomes were the need for a pacemaker implantation and sustained VAs. Results: A total of 14 patients were deemed eligible for the software analysis: 8 patients with wild type transthyretin CA, 5 with light chain CA, and 1 with transthyretin hereditary CA. The vast majority of imaging features was not related to the composite outcome, but atrial wall thickening displayed a significant association with both the primary (p = 0.003) and the secondary outcome of pacemaker implantation (p = 0.003). The software was able to differentiate between core zones and border zones of scars, with the latter being the most extensively represented in all patients. Interestingly, in a huge percentage of CMR images, the software identified the highest degree of core zone fibrosis among the epicardial layers and, in those patients, we found a higher incidence of the primary outcome, without reaching statistical significance (p = 0.18). Channels were found in the scar zones in a substantial percentage of patients without a clear correlation with follow-up events. Conclusions: CMR imaging plays a pivotal role in cardiovascular diagnostics. Our analysis shows the feasibility and applicability of such instrument for all types of CA. We could not only differentiate between different layers of scars, but we were also able to identify the presence of fibrosis channels among the different scar zones. None of the data derived from the ADAS 3D software seemed to be related to cardiac events in the follow-up, but this might be imputable to the restricted number of patients enrolled in the study.

Cardiac Masses and Pseudomasses: An Overview about Diagnostic Imaging and Clinical Background.

A cardiac lesion detected at ultrasonography might turn out to be a normal structure, a benign tumor or rarely a malignancy, and lesion characterization is very important to appropriately manage the lesion itself. The exact relationship of the mass with coronary arteries and the knowledge of possible concomitant coronary artery disease are necessary preoperative information. Moreover, the increasingly performed coronary CT angiography to evaluate non-invasively coronary artery disease leads to a rising number of incidental findings. Therefore, CT and MRI are frequently performed imaging modalities when echocardiography is deemed insufficient to evaluate a lesion. A brief comprehensive overview about diagnostic radiological imaging and the clinical background of cardiac masses and pseudomasses is reported.