Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Late Gadolinium Enhancement Imaging in Arrhythmic Risk Stratification

Non-invasive imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis of non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies, the assessment of prognosis, and monitoring of therapy. Three (3) fundamental questions must be addressed clinically: 1) Is the left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) preserved or reduced? 2) Is the structure of the LV normal or abnormal? 3) Are there other myocardial tissue abnormalities that could account for the clinical presentation? Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a transformative imaging technology that is increasingly being used for the non-invasive evaluation of the expanding cardiomyopathy population. It represents the gold standard for the assessment of cardiac volumes, function and mass, due to its high spatial, temporal and contrast resolution, and true three-dimensional coverage of the heart [1,2].