Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has changed the management of suspected viral myocarditis by providing a 'positive' diagnostic test and has lead to new insights into myocardial involvement in systemic inflammatory conditions. In this review we analyse the use of CMR tissue characterisation techniques across the available studies including T2 weighted imaging, early gadolinium enhancement, late gadolinium enhancement, Lake Louise Criteria, T2 mapping, T1 mapping and extracellular volume assessment. We also discuss the use of multiparametric CMR in acute cardiac transplant rejection and a variety of inflammatory conditions such as sarcoidosis, systemic lupus erythrematous, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis.
Keywords: Acute cardiac; Allograft rejection; Cardiac magnetic resonance; Extracellular volume assessment; Late gadolinium enhancement; Myocarditis; Rheumatoid arthritis; Sarcoidosis; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Systemic sclerosis; T1 mapping; T2 mapping.