Assessment of pericardial diseases and cardiac masses with cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Imaging plays an important diagnostic and prognostic role in the assessment of pericardial diseases and cardiac tumors and in differentiating these conditions from other cardiac and noncardiac diseases. A number of imaging modalities are available for this task; each has advantages and limitation. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a highly versatile imaging modality that provides detailed anatomical information, tissue characterization, cardiac function assessment, and evaluation of the impact of these conditions on hemodynamics. In this review we focus on the current state-of-the-art application of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in assessing pericardial diseases and cardiac tumors.