The Current Role of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging According to European Society of Cardiology Guidelines and Statements (First part)

Over the last decade, the role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) among other non-invasive imaging techniques has been steadily increasing, as it is able to offer a comprehensive assessment for the whole spectrum of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, this is also reflected by the growing citations of CMR in the guidelines and statements issued by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Hereby, the ESC guidelines as well as position statements/papers from ESC working groups/associations involving CMR, published later than 2010, were searched. Clinically relevant information and, when available, corresponding recommendations regarding CMR were extracted and structured first according to type of disease and then, to publication, chronologically. Due to the large ammount of data, this review had to be divided in three parts: (I) coronary syndromes; (II) nonischemic cardiomyopathies and (III) arrhythmias, syncope, sudden cardiac death and devices as well as valvular, congenital, aortic and pericardial diseases. This review is addressed to clinical cardiologists, cardioradiologists as well as cardiac imagers and meant as a comprehensive compilation of the current clinical role of CMR according to the ESC.