Cardiac Sarcoidosis: Role of Multimodality Imaging for Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract

The clinical presentation of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) ranges from an incidentally discovered condition to heart failure and sudden death. The diagnosis of CS is tough, and as a result, CS is often under-recognized in clinical practice. CS is mostly noted in the setting of systemic sarcoidosis, though isolated CS can occur. Frequently clinical criteria require the diagnosis of extracardiac disease in order to establish the diagnosis of CS in the absence of having a positive endomyocardial biopsy. While endomyocardial biopsy provides a high specificity for diagnosing CS, this invasive test has a limited sensitivity. There is incomplete knowledge of disease development and a deficient consensus on the ideal methods for disease recognition. We discuss CS in general, the clinical disease, diagnostic algorithms, latest guidelines and management.