Keywords:
Cardiovascular system, CT, MR, Computer Applications-3D, Colonography CT, Imaging sequences, Ischaemia / Infarction
Authors:
F. Laspas, D. Loggitsi, E. Karatzis, A. Rousakis, J. Andreou, P. Danias; Marousi/GR
Purpose
INTRODUCTION
Cardiac tumors are rather infrequent in everyday clinical practice,
but they cause significant morbidity and mortality.
As tumors of other organ,
cardiac neoplasms may be classified into primary and secondary tumors.
The majority of primary cardiac tumors are benign.
Secondary tumors of the heart,
either metastatic or by direct or transvenous extension,
are much more common than primary cardiac tumors.
The frequency and type of cardiac tumors in children differ from those in adults.
(1-3)
Cardiac MRI (CMR) is the gold standard for imaging and evaluation of cardiac tumors.
This technique is noninvasive,
does not involve radiation and provides high quality multiplanar images allowing confirmation of the presence of a space-occupying lesion,
localization,
anatomic relationship and tissue characterization of cardiac masses.
Additionally cardiac function and flow may be evaluated by MRI.
(3,4)
In this article we describe our MRI protocol for optimal evaluation and characterization of cardiac tumors,
present representative images of a variety of cardiac masses from our own institution,
illustrate useful cardiac MRI features allowing differentiation between benign and malignant cardiac masses and discuss tumor-like lesions of the heart (thrombus and normal cardiac structures).