Role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)

Background: Cardiac MRI (CMR) has recently considered an important imaging modality for assessment of patients with cardiomyopathy. The present study was conducted to evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) Methods: In two reputable medical institutions in South India, an observational study was done in the Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging. This research is based on data collected from June 2013 to April 2015, a period of one year and eleven months. The study comprised a total of 40 patients. All the recruited patients underwent cardiac MRI. Results: In present study, 70% of DCM patients had no scar on delayed enhancement imaging while 30% patients (18.8% of females and 37.5% of males) had scar in non-ischemic distribution. Among the idiopathic cases, 70.6% of cases had no scar (80% of females and 63% of males) on delayed enhancement. All cases of idiopathic DCM with scar, had mid wall fibrosis pattern of enhancement. Conclusion: In summary, magnetic resonance imaging is an accurate, non-invasive, safe and advanced modality for evaluation of myocardial scarring and prognostication.