Journal of computer assisted tomography
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Cardiomyopathies are diseases of the myocardium of unknown etiology associated with cardiac dysfunction. On the grounds of their morphology and pathophysiology, primary or idiopathic cardiomyopathies may be classified into a number of disorders; namely, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and restrictive cardiomyopathy. ⋯ The emerging role of magnetic resonance imaging for the understanding and treatment of primary cardiomyopathies cannot be underestimated. From a clinical point of view, an examination based on a single, efficient, and noninvasive MR study focusing on the clinically relevant features of cardiomyopathies is an objective and reproducible means for diagnosing and monitoring hypertrophic, arrhythmogenic, dilated, and restrictive cardiomyopathies.