Applications of PET-MR Imaging in Cardiovascular Disorders

Imaging of Cardiac Fibrosis: How Far Have We Moved From Extracellular to Cellular?

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Myocardial fibrosis plays an important role in adverse outcomes such as heart failure and arrhythmias. As the pathological response and degree of scarring, and therefore clinical presentation varies from patient to patient, early detection of fibrosis is crucial for identifying the appropriate treatment approach and forecasting the progression of a disease along with the likelihood of disease-related mortality. Current imaging modalities provides information about either decreased function or extracellular signs of fibrosis. Targeting activated fibroblasts represents a burgeoning approach that could offer insights prior to observable functional alterations, presenting a promising focus for potential anti-fibrotic therapeutic interventions at cellular level. In this article, we provide an overview of imaging cardiac fibrosis and discuss the role of different advanced imaging modalities with the focus on novel non-invasive imaging of activated fibroblasts.

Advanced Cardiac Imaging and Women's Chest Pain: A Question of Gender

Awareness of gender differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) has increased: both the different impact of traditional cardiovascular risk factors on women and the existence of sex-specific risk factors have been demonstrated. Therefore, it is essential to recognize typical aspects of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in women, who usually show a lower prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) as a cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). It is also important to know how to recognize pathologies that can cause acute chest pain with a higher incidence in women, such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA). Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) gained a pivotal role in the context of cardiac emergencies. Thus, the aim of our review is to investigate the most frequent scenarios in women with acute chest pain and how advanced cardiac imaging can help in the management and diagnosis of ACS.

PET/MR Technology: Advancement and Challenges

When this article was written, it coincided with the 11th anniversary of the installation of our PET/MR device in Munich. In fact, this was the first fully integrated device to be in clinical use. During this time, we have observed many interesting behaviors, to put it kindly. However, it is more critical that in this process, our understanding of the system also improved - including the advantages and limitations from a technical, logistical, and medical perspective. The last decade of PET/MRI research has certainly been characterized by most sites looking for a "key application." There were many ideas in this context and before and after the devices became available, some of which were based on the earlier work with integrating data from single devices. These involved validating classical PET methods with MRI (eg, perfusion or oncology diagnostics). More important, however, were the scenarios where intermodal synergies could be expected. In this review, we look back on this decade-long journey, at the challenges overcome and those still to come.