Abstract
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is often considered the reference method to assess cardiac tumors. However, little data exists concerning the effectiveness of CMR for the accurate diagnosis of cardiac masses. We sought to understand the diagnostic value of CMR for evaluation of suspected cardiac mass. A total of 249 consecutive CMR cases performed at a single center from January 2005 to June 2013 for evaluation of masses found on echocardiography or computed tomography (CT) were included. All the clinical data and imaging features of these patients were retrospectively reviewed and medical records were verified for follow up care. More than half of the patients referred for evaluation of masses found at echocardiography or CT were found to have no evidence of mass by CMR. CMR correctly differentiated between thrombus and myxoma in 88.4 % cases. Malignant masses were accurately diagnosed on CMR. However, CMR missed or misdiagnosed a few cases of benign masses. Diagnosing cardiac masses remains an important use for imaging, despite technical difficulties with current imaging modalities. CMR can play a key role in confirming presence or absence of a mass. Additionally, in the presence of a mass, CMR can provide accurate differentiation of pseudomasses, benign and malignant masses. However, the limitations of CMR must be recognized.
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Author Roja Tumma declares that she has no conflict of interest. Author Wei Dong declares that she has no conflict of interest. Author Jing Wang declares that she has no conflict of interest. Author Harold Litt declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Yuchi Han declares that she has no conflict of interest.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed consent was waived from individual participants included in the study for retrospective review of existing clinical data by the institutional review board.
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Roja Tumma and Wei Dong have contributed equally.
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Tumma, R., Dong, W., Wang, J. et al. Evaluation of cardiac masses by CMR—strengths and pitfalls: a tertiary center experience. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 32, 913–920 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-016-0845-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-016-0845-9