Contrast enhanced ultrasound molecular imaging of the inflammatory response in myocarditis

Abstract

Myocarditis is defined as an inflammatory infiltration of the myocardium with myocyte degeneration and necrosis. Although myocarditis is not a comparatively frequent disease and quite often even is asymptomatic, some patients will develop symptoms of heart failure and myocarditis is the main cause for sudden cardiac death in young adults. Because the diagnostic tools are not satisfying and often including invasive biopsies, ultrasound imaging with selectively molecular-targeted contrast agents would be of tremendous advantage. The aim for this study was to use contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEU) molecular imaging to detect the inflammatory process in myocarditis in the acute stage and investigate the predictive value for cardiac remodelling and eventually cardiac failure. In summary, our study results indicate that CEU molecular imaging can be used to detect the inflammatory process in myocarditis and discriminate the disease severity independent of cardiac function.