Pericardial disease

Abstract

Pericardial disease is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While important therapeutic advances over the past decades have improved outcomes in patients with ischaemic and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies, considerably less progress has been made in pericardial disease. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance is an important imaging modality for the diagnostic workup of pericardial disease. It allows assessment of pericardial anatomy, determining the impact of pericardial disease on ventricular function, the presence of constrictive physiology, the degree of pericardial inflammation, and associated myocardial and thoracic pathology. These findings contribute importantly to determining appropriate medical and surgical therapy in patients with pericardial disease.