Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Tissue Characterization Research Articles

Left ventricular fibrosis and CMR tissue characterization of papillary muscles in mitral valve prolapse patients.

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is associated with left ventricle (LV) fibrosis, including the papillary muscles (PM), which is in turn linked to malignant arrhythmias. This study aims to evaluate comprehensive tissue characterization of the PM by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and its association with LV fibrosis observed by intraoperative biopsies. MVP patients with indication for surgery due to severe mitral regurgitation (n = 19) underwent a preoperative CMR with characterization of the PM: dark-appearance on cine, T1 mapping, conventional bright blood (BB) and dark blood (DB) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). CMR T1 mapping was performed on 21 healthy volunteers as controls. LV inferobasal myocardial biopsies were obtained in MVP patients and compared to CMR findings. MVP patients (54 ± 10 years old, 14 male) had a dark-appearance of the PM with higher native T1 and extracellular volume (ECV) values compared with healthy volunteers (1096 ± 78ms vs. 994 ± 54ms and 33.9 ± 5.6% vs. 25.9 ± 3.1%, respectively, p < 0.001). Seventeen MVP patients (89.5%) had fibrosis by biopsy. BB-LGE + in LV and PM was identified in 5 (26.3%) patients, while DB-LGE + was observed in LV in 9 (47.4%) and in PM in 15 (78.9%) patients. DB-LGE + in PM was the only technique that showed no difference with detection of LV fibrosis by biopsy. Posteromedial PM was more frequently affected than the anterolateral (73.7% vs. 36.8%, p = 0.039) and correlated with biopsy-proven LV fibrosis (Rho 0.529, p = 0.029). CMR imaging in MVP patients referred for surgery shows a dark-appearance of the PM with higher T1 and ECV values compared with healthy volunteers. The presence of a positive DB-LGE at the posteromedial PM by CMR may serve as a better predictor of biopsy-proven LV inferobasal fibrosis than conventional CMR techniques.

Value of cardiac magnetic resonance on the risk stratification of cardiomyopathies.

Cardiomyopathies represent a diverse group of heart muscle diseases with varying etiologies, presenting a diagnostic challenge due to their heterogeneous manifestations. Regular evaluation using cardiac imaging techniques is imperative as symptoms can evolve over time. These imaging approaches are pivotal for accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and optimizing prognostic outcomes. Among these, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) stands out for its ability to provide precise anatomical and functional assessments. This manuscript explores the significant contributions of CMR in the diagnosis and management of patients with cardiomyopathies, with special attention to risk stratification. CMR's high spatial resolution and tissue characterization capabilities enable early detection and differentiation of various cardiomyopathy subtypes. Additionally, it offers valuable insights into myocardial fibrosis, tissue viability, and left ventricular function, crucial parameters for risk stratification and predicting adverse cardiac events. By integrating CMR into clinical practice, clinicians can tailor patient-specific treatment plans, implement timely interventions, and optimize long-term prognosis. The non-invasive nature of CMR reduces the need for invasive procedures, minimizing patient discomfort. This review highlights the vital role of CMR in monitoring disease progression, guiding treatment decisions, and identifying potential complications in patients with cardiomyopathies. The utilization of CMR has significantly advanced our understanding and management of these complex cardiac conditions, leading to improved patient outcomes and a more personalized approach to care.

Comprehensive Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Tissue Characterization and Cardiotoxicity in Women With Breast Cancer

There is a growing interest in understanding whether cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) myocardial tissue characterization helps identify risk of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD). To describe changes in CMR tissue biomarkers during breast cancer therapy and their association with CTRCD. This was a prospective, multicenter, cohort study of women with ERBB2 (formerly HER2)-positive breast cancer (stages I-III) who were scheduled to receive anthracycline and trastuzumab therapy with/without adjuvant radiotherapy and surgery. From November 7, 2013, to January 16, 2019, participants were recruited from 3 University of Toronto-affiliated hospitals. Data were analyzed from July 2021 to June 2022. Sequential therapy with anthracyclines, trastuzumab, and radiation. CMR, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) measurements were performed before anthracycline treatment, after anthracycline and before trastuzumab treatment, and at 3-month intervals during trastuzumab therapy. CMR included left ventricular (LV) volumes, LV ejection fraction (EF), myocardial strain, early gadolinium enhancement imaging to assess hyperemia (inflammation marker), native/postcontrast T1 mapping (with extracellular volume fraction [ECV]) to assess edema and/or fibrosis, T2 mapping to assess edema, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) to assess replacement fibrosis. CTRCD was defined using the Cardiac Review and Evaluation Committee criteria. Fixed-effects models or generalized estimating equations were used in analyses. Of 136 women (mean [SD] age, 51.1 [9.2] years) recruited from 2013 to 2019, 37 (27%) developed CTRCD. Compared with baseline, tissue biomarkers of myocardial hyperemia and edema peaked after anthracycline therapy or 3 months after trastuzumab initiation as demonstrated by an increase in mean (SD) relative myocardial enhancement (baseline, 46.3% [16.8%] to peak, 56.2% [18.6%]), native T1 (1012 [26] milliseconds to 1035 [28] milliseconds), T2 (51.4 [2.2] milliseconds to 52.6 [2.2] milliseconds), and ECV (25.2% [2.4%] to 26.8% [2.7%]), with P <.001 for the entire follow-up. The observed values were mostly within the normal range, and the changes were small and recovered during follow-up. No new replacement fibrosis developed. Increase in T1, T2, and/or ECV was associated with increased ventricular volumes and BNP but not hs-cTnI level. None of the CMR tissue biomarkers were associated with changes in LVEF or myocardial strain. Change in ECV was associated with concurrent and subsequent CTRCD, but there was significant overlap between patients with and without CTRCD. In women with ERBB2-positive breast cancer receiving sequential anthracycline and trastuzumab therapy, CMR tissue biomarkers suggest inflammation and edema peaking early during therapy and were associated with ventricular remodeling and BNP elevation. However, the increases in CMR biomarkers were transient, were not associated with LVEF or myocardial strain, and were not useful in identifying traditional CTRCD risk.

Complete resolution of apical hypertrophy and fibrosis: the role of serial cardiovascular magnetic resonance tissue characterization to differentiate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from myocarditis.

Complete resolution of apical hypertrophy and fibrosis: the role of serial cardiovascular magnetic resonance tissue characterization to differentiate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from myocarditis.

Clinical Translation of Three-Dimensional Scar, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Four-Dimensional Flow, and Quantitative Perfusion in Cardiac MRI: A Comprehensive Review.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is a versatile tool that has established itself as the reference method for functional assessment and tissue characterisation. CMR helps to diagnose, monitor disease course and sub-phenotype disease states. Several emerging CMR methods have the potential to offer a personalised medicine approach to treatment. CMR tissue characterisation is used to assess myocardial oedema, inflammation or thrombus in various disease conditions. CMR derived scar maps have the potential to inform ablation therapy—both in atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Quantitative CMR is pushing boundaries with motion corrections in tissue characterisation and first-pass perfusion. Advanced tissue characterisation by imaging the myocardial fibre orientation using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), has also demonstrated novel insights in patients with cardiomyopathies. Enhanced flow assessment using four-dimensional flow (4D flow) CMR, where time is the fourth dimension, allows quantification of transvalvular flow to a high degree of accuracy for all four-valves within the same cardiac cycle. This review discusses these emerging methods and others in detail and gives the reader a foresight of how CMR will evolve into a powerful clinical tool in offering a precision medicine approach to treatment, diagnosis, and detection of disease.

Toward Replacing Late Gadolinium Enhancement With Artificial Intelligence Virtual Native Enhancement for Gadolinium-Free Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Tissue Characterization in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is the gold standard for noninvasive myocardial tissue characterization but requires intravenous contrast agent administration. It is highly desired to develop a contrast agent-free technology to replace LGE for faster and cheaper CMR scans. A CMR virtual native enhancement (VNE) imaging technology was developed using artificial intelligence. The deep learning model for generating VNE uses multiple streams of convolutional neural networks to exploit and enhance the existing signals in native T1 maps (pixel-wise maps of tissue T1 relaxation times) and cine imaging of cardiac structure and function, presenting them as LGE-equivalent images. The VNE generator was trained using generative adversarial networks. This technology was first developed on CMR datasets from the multicenter Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Registry, using hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as an exemplar. The datasets were randomized into 2 independent groups for deep learning training and testing. The test data of VNE and LGE were scored and contoured by experienced human operators to assess image quality, visuospatial agreement, and myocardial lesion burden quantification. Image quality was compared using a nonparametric Wilcoxon test. Intra- and interobserver agreement was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Lesion quantification by VNE and LGE were compared using linear regression and ICC. A total of 1348 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients provided 4093 triplets of matched T1 maps, cines, and LGE datasets. After randomization and data quality control, 2695 datasets were used for VNE method development and 345 were used for independent testing. VNE had significantly better image quality than LGE, as assessed by 4 operators (n=345 datasets; P<0.001 [Wilcoxon test]). VNE revealed lesions characteristic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in high visuospatial agreement with LGE. In 121 patients (n=326 datasets), VNE correlated with LGE in detecting and quantifying both hyperintensity myocardial lesions (r=0.77-0.79; ICC=0.77-0.87; P<0.001) and intermediate-intensity lesions (r=0.70-0.76; ICC=0.82-0.85; P<0.001). The native CMR images (cine plus T1 map) required for VNE can be acquired within 15 minutes and producing a VNE image takes less than 1 second. VNE is a new CMR technology that resembles conventional LGE but without the need for contrast administration. VNE achieved high agreement with LGE in the distribution and quantification of lesions, with significantly better image quality.

Real-time cardiovascular magnetic resonance tissue characterisation in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): German Research Foundation (DFG, CRC 1002, D1) Background Myocardial fibrosis is a major determinant of outcome in aortic stenosis (AS). Novel fast real-time (RT) cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) mapping techniques allow comprehensive quantification of fibrosis but have not yet been compared against standard techniques and histology. Methods Patients with severe AS underwent CMR before (n = 110) and left ventricular (LV) endomyocardial biopsy (n = 46) at transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Midventricular short axis (SAX) native, post-contrast T1 and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) maps were generated using commercially available MOLLI (native: 5(3)3, post-contrast: 4(1)3(1)2) and RT single-shot inversion recovery fast low-angle shot (FLASH) with radial undersampling. Focal late gadolinium enhancement was excluded from T1 and ECV regions of interest. ECV and LV mass were used to calculate LV matrix volumes. Variability and agreements were assessed between RT, MOLLI and histology using intraclass correlation coefficients, coefficients of variation and Bland Altman analyses. Results RT and MOLLI derived ECV were similar for midventricular SAX slice coverage (26.2 vs. 26.5, p = 0.073) and septal region of interest (26.2 vs. 26.5, p = 0.216). MOLLI native T1 time was in median 20 ms longer compared to RT (p &amp;lt; 0.001). Agreement between RT and MOLLI was best for ECV (ICC &amp;gt;0.91), excellent for post-contrast T1 times (ICC &amp;gt;0.81) and good for native T1 times (ICC &amp;gt;0.62). Diffuse collagen volume fraction by biopsies was in median 7.8%. ECV (RT r = 0.345, p = 0.039; MOLLI r = 0.40, p = 0.010) and LV matrix volumes (RT r = 0.45, p = 0.005; MOLLI r = 0.43, p = 0.007) were the only parameters associated with histology. Conclusions RT mapping offers fast and sufficient ECV and LV matrix volume calculation in AS. ECV and LV matrix volume represent robust and universally comparable parameters with associations to histologically assessed fibrosis and may emerge as potential targets for clinical decision making.

Prospective cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in adults with Alstr\xf6m syndrome: silent progression of diffuse interstitial fibrosis

BackgroundAlström syndrome (ALMS) is a rare ciliopathy characterised by early onset insulin resistance, obesity, and dyslipidaemia and is a model for diseases that have huge social, health and economic impact. Cardiomyopathy develops in the majority, with high rates of morbidity and mortality, the definitive features of which are coarse replacement fibrosis and diffuse myocardial fibrosis (DIF). The pathogenesis of heart failure is thought to involve fibroblast accumulation and expansion of the extracellular matrix with excess protein deposition, leading to distorted organ architecture and impaired contractile function. Consecutive adults with genetically proven ALMS attending the National Centre for Rare Disease in Birmingham, England were studied. All patients underwent serial CMR, echocardiography and venous blood sampling, with computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) performed to assess severity of CAD. The aims of this study were: 1) to evaluate changes over time in DIF by cardiovascular magnetic resonance tissue characterization in ALMS; 2) to examine whether changes in DIF are associated with alteration in systolic or diastolic function; and 3) to evaluate the frequency and severity of coronary artery disease as a confounder for progression of ischaemic versus non-ischaemic fibrosis.ResultsIn total, 30/32 adults (63% male; 67% White British) participated. The median age at first scan was 21.3 years (interquartile range: 19.0–32.6) and participants were followed for a maximum of 67 months. Only 4 patients had significant coronary artery stenosis on post-mortem, invasive coronary angiography or CTCA. Mid short axis myocardial T1 times, myocardial extracellular volume, and left ventricular mass increased significantly over time, by an average of 21.8 ms (95% CI 17.4–26.1; p < 0.001), 1.1 percentage points (0.6–1.6, p < 0.001), and 2.8 g/m2 (1.9–3.7; p < 0.001) per year, respectively. These changes were not associated with significant deterioration in myocardial structure or function.ConclusionsThis is the first comprehensive prospective study demonstrating progression of DIF in ALMS over time, although no structural or functional consequences were noted within a median three and a half years’ follow up. Further study is warranted to define whether DIF is a by-stander or the driver to impaired contractile function, heart failure and death.

Association of ECG parameters with late gadolinium enhancement and outcome in patients with clinical suspicion of acute or subacute myocarditis referred for CMR imaging.

BackgroundRisk stratification of myocarditis is challenging due to variable clinical presentations. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the primary non-invasive imaging modality to investigate myocarditis while electrocardiograms (ECG) are routinely included in the clinical work-up. The association of ECG parameters with CMR tissue characterisation and their prognostic value were investigated in patients with clinically suspected myocarditis.Methods and resultsConsecutive patients with suspected myocarditis who underwent CMR and ECG were analysed. Major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) included all-cause death, hospitalisation for heart failure, heart transplantation, documented sustained ventricular arrhythmia, or recurrent myocarditis. A total of 587 patients were followed for a median of 3.9 years. A wide QRS-T angle, low voltage and fragmented QRS were significantly associated with late gadolinium enhancement. Further, a wide QRS-T angle, low voltage and prolonged QTc duration were associated with MACE in the univariable analysis. In a multivariable model, late gadolinium enhancement (HR: 1.90, 95%CI: 1.17–3.10; p = 0.010) and the ECG parameters of a low QRS voltage (HR: 1.86, 95%CI: 1.01–3.42; p = 0.046) and QRS-T-angle (HR: 1.01, 95%CI: 1.00–1.01; p = 0.029) remained independently associated with outcome. The cumulative incidence of MACE was incrementally higher when findings of both CMR and ECG were abnormal (p<0.001).ConclusionIn patients with clinically suspected myocarditis, abnormal ECG parameters are associated with abnormal tissue characteristics detected by CMR. Further, ECG and CMR findings have independent prognostic implications for morbidity and mortality. Integrating both exams into clinical decision-making may play a role in risk stratification in this heterogeneous patient population.

Myocardial fibrosis in asymptomatic and symptomatic chronic severe\xa0primary mitral regurgitation and relationship to tissue characterisation and left ventricular\xa0function on cardiovascular magnetic resonance

BackgroundMyocardial fibrosis occurs in end-stage heart failure secondary to mitral regurgitation (MR), but it is not known whether this is present before onset of symptoms or myocardial dysfunction. This study aimed to characterise myocardial fibrosis in chronic severe primary MR on histology, compare this to tissue characterisation on cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, and investigate associations with symptoms, left ventricular (LV) function, and exercise capacity.MethodsPatients with class I or IIa indications for surgery underwent CMR and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. LV biopsies were taken at surgery and the extent of fibrosis was quantified on histology using collagen volume fraction (CVFmean) compared to autopsy controls without cardiac pathology.Results120 consecutive patients (64 ± 13 years; 71% male) were recruited; 105 patients underwent MV repair while 15 chose conservative management. LV biopsies were obtained in 86 patients (234 biopsy samples in total). MR patients had more fibrosis compared to 8 autopsy controls (median: 14.6% [interquartile range 7.4–20.3] vs. 3.3% [2.6–6.1], P < 0.001); this difference persisted in the asymptomatic patients (CVFmean 13.6% [6.3–18.8], P < 0.001), but severity of fibrosis was not significantly higher in NYHA II-III symptomatic MR (CVFmean 15.7% [9.9–23.1] (P = 0.083). Fibrosis was patchy across biopsy sites (intraclass correlation 0.23, 95% CI 0.08–0.39, P = 0.001). No significant relationships were identified between CVFmean and CMR tissue characterisation [native T1, extracellular volume (ECV) or late gadolinium enhancement] or measures of LV function [LV ejection fraction (LVEF), global longitudinal strain (GLS)]. Although the range of ECV was small (27.3 ± 3.2%), ECV correlated with multiple measures of LV function (LVEF: Rho = − 0.22, P = 0.029, GLS: Rho = 0.29, P = 0.003), as well as NTproBNP (Rho = 0.54, P < 0.001) and exercise capacity (%PredVO2max: R = − 0.22, P = 0.030).ConclusionsPatients with chronic primary MR have increased fibrosis before the onset of symptoms. Due to the patchy nature of fibrosis, CMR derived ECV may be a better marker of global myocardial status.Clinical trial registration Mitral FINDER study; Clinical Trials NCT02355418, Registered 4 February 2015, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02355418

CMR Parametric Mapping as a Tool for Myocardial Tissue Characterization.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the current gold standard for imaging cardiac anatomy, function, and advanced myocardial tissue characterization. After cine, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), and perfusion imaging, parametric mapping is widely regarded as the 4th era of myocardial CMR development. In contrast to conventional CMR tissue characterization techniques, which rely on relative variations in image intensities to highlight abnormal tissues, parametric mapping provides direct visualization of tissue MR properties such as T1, T2 and T2* in absolute denominations (e.g. in milliseconds). Presentation as pixel-wise parametric maps adds spatial information for a more complete assessment of the myocardium. Advantages of parametric mapping include direct, quantitative comparisons inter- and within-individuals, as well as detection of diffuse disease not evident on conventional CMR imaging, without the need for contrast agents. CMR parametric mapping methods have matured over the past decade into clinical tools, demonstrating not only clinical utility but added value in a wide range of cardiac diseases. They are particularly useful for the evaluation of acute myocardial injury, suspected infiltration and heart failure of unclear etiology. This review discusses the background of parametric mapping, particularly T1-, T2- and ECV-mapping, general magnetic resonance physics principles, clinical applications (including imaging protocols, image analysis and reporting guidelines), current challenges and future directions. CMR parametric mapping is increasingly available on routine clinical scanners, and promises to deliver advanced myocardial tissue characterization beyond conventional CMR techniques, ultimately helping clinicians to benefit patients in their clinical management.

Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry in Early Detection of Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity

To provide an overview of the published data on the value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) based T1 and T2 and extracellular volume (ECV) fraction quantification to identify myocardial abnormalities related to anthracycline treatment in patients with cancer. In animal models of anthracycline cardiotoxicity, elevations in myocardial T1 and T2 values appear to occur early during treatment followed by ventricular remodeling, persistent elevation in T1, and increase in ECV. These findings suggest early myocardial inflammation/edema followed by myocardial fibrosis and ventricular dysfunction. Similarly in patients receiving cancer therapy, T1 and ECV values increase early after anthracycline therapy. The value of T2 mapping in this setting has not been established. Likewise, adult cancer survivors with or without LV dysfunction have increased ECV values which may be associated with worse diastolic parameters. The value of ECV to identify subclinical cardiomyopathy in pediatric cancer survivors remains controversial. Quantitative CMR tissue characterization techniques may have a unique role in identifying the pathophysiology of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy and for early detection of myocardial injury. In cancer survivors, these techniques have a potential role in identifying early and subclinical myocardial injury. However, the overall literature on quantitative CMR tissue characterization techniques to detect anthracycline cardiotoxicity is limited.

P5262Subclinical myocardial abnormalities in systemic sclerosis-associated versus non-connective tissue disease pulmonary hypertension by CMR multiparametric mapping

Abstract Introduction Scleroderma (SSc)-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has the worst prognosis of all PAH subtypes despite having relatively more favourable haemodynamic and cardiac functional profiles. Myocardial abnormalities in SSc have been demonstrated by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) multiparametric tissue mapping. However, myocardial tissue characterisation studies across distinct PAH subtypes including SSc are limited. Purpose We compared indices of tissue characterisation by CMR multiparametric mapping between patients with SSc with and without PAH, non-connective tissue disease pulmonary hypertension (non-CTD PH) and healthy volunteers. Methods One-hundred and thirty-six patients underwent a CMR study over a 30-month period: 104 patients with systemic sclerosis, of whom 39 had SSc-PAH and 65 had no PH; 32 patients with idiopathic PAH, chronic thromboembolic PH or portopulmonary PH (non-CTD PH group). Patients underwent comprehensive CMR tissue characterisation including quantification of native myocardial T1 (MOLLI), myocardial T2 and ECV from automatically generated tissue maps along with conventional late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging. Twenty age-matched controls underwent the same CMR study protocol. Patients were assessed for PH by right heart catheterisation. Results Native myocardial T1 and myocardial T2 and myocardial ECV are significantly elevated in SSc-PAH versus non-CTD PH (all p&lt;0.05, Figure 1) despite no differences in LV systolic function between these patient cohorts. Patients with SSc have similar degrees of elevated T1, T2 and ECV irrespective of the presence or absence of PAH, suggesting a diffuse myocardial process due to SSc itself. Both SSc sub-groups have significantly higher T1, T2 and ECV compared with controls (all p&lt;0.05). All patients with SSc were subdivided by the presence or absence of ventricular insertion point LGE. Even in the absence of LGE, T1, T2 and ECV were significantly higher in SSc patients versus controls (all p&lt;0.001). However, the presence of focal insertional LGE in SSc was not associated with different burdens of interstitial disease, as defined by median ECV. This highlights the unique role of multiparametric tissue maps in assessing diffuse myocardial involvement beyond the identification of focal LGE. Conclusion Subclinical abnormalities of the myocardium can be detected by CMR multiparametric tissue mapping in patients with SSc. The higher native myocardial T1 and T2 along with the elevated ECV in SSc-PAH are likely to be accounted for by SSc involvement itself. Abnormalities of the myocardial architecture could be a potential contributory reason for the poorer outcomes in SSc-PAH versus non-CTD PH despite the more favourable haemodynamics and right heart function observed in the former patient sub-group. Further work should be directed at determining the prognostic capacity of these metrics in SSc-PAH. Acknowledgement/Funding British Heart Foundation, Action Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: the importance of clinical context.

In patients with suspected or established hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is widely employed for clinical management, given its multimodality approach capable of providing unique information on cardiac morphology, function, and tissue characterization. Guidance regarding all aspects of HCM diagnosis and management is provided by the comprehensive 2014 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on HCM. CMR should be performed in centres with recognized expertise in heart muscle diseases, by physicians who are familiar with the whole HCM disease spectrum, differential diagnoses, and pitfalls. Because CMR is usually performed and interpreted by physicians not directly involved in patient care, detailed, bidirectional, and standardized communication becomes essential to obtain best results and avoid misinterpretation. In order to maximize the potential of CMR, it is of paramount importance that reporting physicians are provided with the essential clinical information and that, in turn, referring physicians are given a core set of CMR morphological, functional, and tissue characterization results following the test. This article aims to summarize the current knowledge on the role of CMR in managing HCM and, in addition, to review the importance of the clinical context in which the report is provided, in both adult and paediatric population, highlighting implications for clinical research.