Journal Information
Vol. 35. Issue 9.
Pages 503-504 (September 2016)
Share
Share
Download PDF
More article options
Vol. 35. Issue 9.
Pages 503-504 (September 2016)
Image in Cardiology
Open Access
Complete recovery of myocardial inflammation imaged by T2 mapping
Recuperação completa de miocardite avaliada por T2-mapping
Visits
4267
Cátia Costaa, António M. Ferreirab,
Corresponding author
, Pedro Morais Sarmentoc, Nuno Cardimb, Hugo Marquesb
a Cardiology Department, Hospital de Santarém, Santarém, Portugal
b Cardiovascular Imaging Department, Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal
c Internal Medicine Department, Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal
This item has received

Under a Creative Commons license
Article information
Full Text
Download PDF
Statistics
Figures (1)
Additional material (2)
Full Text

We present the cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images of a 31-year-old woman with flu-like symptoms, admitted for chest pain and elevated troponin I. Cine imaging showed pericardial effusion and a non-dilated left ventricle with mildly increased wall thickness, preserved systolic function, and no wall motion abnormalities (Figure 1 and Video 1). T2-weighted short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) sequences showed diffuse myocardial hyperintensity, while delayed enhancement imaging revealed extensive left ventricular subepicardial and midwall hyperenhancement. In order to quantify and more clearly depict the myocardial edema, a new CMR technique (T2 mapping) was also used. Our patient's T2 maps showed diffusely increased myocardial T2 times (74 ms in the interventricular septum; reference ≤46 ms).

Figure 1.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance images at presentation and four months later. MDE: myocardial delayed enhancement; SSFP: steady-state free precession; STIR: short tau inversion-recovery.

(0.29MB).

A follow-up CMR performed four months later showed disappearance of the LV “pseudo-hypertrophy” and no myocardial delayed enhancement (Figure 1 and Video 2). There was also no myocardial hyperintensity on T2-STIR images. T2 mapping now showed values within normal limits (45 ms).

Until recently, T2-weighted imaging relied essentially on black blood turbo spin echo sequences, which were subject to several drawbacks that limited their usefulness. Recently, new mapping techniques have been introduced to overcome these limitations and to enable quantitative assessment of myocardial edema. Myocardial maps can be acquired in any orientation and are independent of heart rate and coil proximity and less sensitive to arrhythmias or respiratory motion. The quantification of T2 offers a distinct advantage in the detection of global changes, in comparison with classic T2-weighted imaging. This case illustrates the feasibility and potential usefulness of myocardial T2 mapping in the setting of myocarditis.

Ethical disclosuresProtection of human and animal subjects

The authors declare that no experiments were performed on humans or animals for this study.

Confidentiality of data

The authors declare that they have followed the protocols of their work center on the publication of patient data.

Right to privacy and informed consent

The authors declare that no patient data appear in this article.

Conflicts of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Copyright © 2016. Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia
Download PDF
Idiomas
Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia (English edition)
Article options
Tools
Supplemental materials
en pt

Are you a health professional able to prescribe or dispense drugs?

Você é um profissional de saúde habilitado a prescrever ou dispensar medicamentos

By checking that you are a health professional, you are stating that you are aware and accept that the Portuguese Journal of Cardiology (RPC) is the Data Controller that processes the personal information of users of its website, with its registered office at Campo Grande, n.º 28, 13.º, 1700-093 Lisbon, telephone 217 970 685 and 217 817 630, fax 217 931 095, and email revista@spc.pt. I declare for all purposes that the information provided herein is accurate and correct.