Cardiac Masses

Abstract

Tumours of the heart are generally uncommon and can be either primary or secondary, the former of which can be either benign or malignant. CMR is an important imaging modality for the assessment of any suspected cardiac or paracardiac mass, as it can determine tumour size, location, relationship to other cardiac structures, invasion into the pericardium or extra-cardiac spread (e.g. invasion into the great vessels), which is vital for any proposed surgical planning. It is typically performed after a transthoracic echocardiogram has identified an abnormality and further characterisation is required. Increasingly, cardiac CT is used as it can provide high spatial resolution anatomical imaging, but CMR is still important due to its ability to provide additional functional information.

This chapter will highlight a standard approach to imaging suspected cardiac tumours using a multi-parametric MR imaging protocol. Each of the most common referral indications for investigation of a suspected cardiac mass will be discussed in turn, highlighting their clinical features, frequency and MR imaging/tissue characteristics; and each will be illustrated by a typical case example highlighting the imaging features.