Advances in imaging for diagnosis and management of cardiac sarcoidosis

• Published in: European heart journal cardiovascular imaging 2015-09, Vol.16 (9), p.949-958
• Main Authors: Aggarwal, Niti R, Snipelisky, David, Young, Phillip M, Gersh, Bernard J, Cooper, Leslie T, Chareonthaitawee, Panithaya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cardiac Imaging Techniques - trends; Cardiomyopathies - diagnosis; Cardiomyopathies - mortality; Cardiomyopathies - therapy; Cause of Death; Disease-Free Survival; Early Diagnosis; Electrocardiography - methods; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory - methods; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Forecasting; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; Immunosuppressive Agents - administration & dosage; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine - methods; Male; Mass Screening - methods; Positron-Emission Tomography - methods; Prognosis; Radiographic Image Enhancement - methods; Risk Assessment; Sarcoidosis - diagnosis; Sarcoidosis - mortality; Sarcoidosis - therapy; Severity of Illness Index; Survival Analysis
• ISSN: 2047-2404; 2047-2412
• DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/jev142

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder with a high prevalence of cardiac involvement. Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) may be life threatening due to end-stage cardiomyopathy and sudden cardiac death. The frequent absence of specific symptoms and lack of a diagnostic 'gold standard' pose challenges in the diagnosis of CS. Endomyocardial biopsy, although specific, has an unacceptably low sensitivity. Non-invasive cardiac imaging has a huge role in the assessment of patients with known or suspected CS. This comprehensive review compares the diagnostic accuracy, along with advantages and disadvantages, of established and emerging imaging modalities for CS.