Advances in multimodality imaging and the application of new cardiac imaging technologies for radiation-induced heart disease

Radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) is a heterogeneous, delayed, and potentially fatal adverse reaction to radiation that can damage all structures of the heart, including the pericardium, myocardium, coronary arteries, valves, and conduction system, leading to a series of diseases. Acute and chronic disease processes play a role in the development of RIHD, the onset times of which range from months to decades. However, the clinical manifestations of RIHD are usually insidious, overlap with several other diseases, and lack specificity. Cardiovascular imaging is essential for early diagnosis, follow-up, and outcome assessment in patients with RIHD. This review first describes the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of RIHD before providing an overview of the practical approaches and research advances in multimodal cardiovascular imaging in patients with RIHD, including echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and nuclear medicine, and cardiac computed tomography (CT). Then, the value of new cardiac imaging assessments for the early diagnosis of RIHD is described, particularly with relation to speckle-tracking echocardiography, extracellular volume fraction assessment as a quantitative CMR technique, CMR myocardial strain assessment, positron emission tomography-CT myocardial perfusion imaging, CT-ECV, and CT strain assessment, amongst others. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of each screening technique are compared with the aim of better guiding the follow-up and diagnosis of subclinical RIHD and preventing cardiovascular events.