Single-centre survey of the application of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in clinical routine.

AIMS

Awareness of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is growing due to increasing evidence for providing relevant functional and morphologic information. This single-centre survey aimed at providing descriptive data about the clinical application and potential impact of CMR.

METHODS AND RESULTS

All 2598 clinically indicated CMR exams were prospectively registered during 1 year in one single centre. Detailed data of the individual patient and procedural information of each exam were collected. In a simulation of CMR-based clinical decision-making in a subgroup of 250 cases, the influence of CMR on further diagnostic testing and answering the clinical question was estimated. Inflammatory (31%) and coronary (28%) heart disease were the most frequent indications. The exams were fast (98% < 60 min), robust (0.4% non-diagnostic image quality), and mostly used contrast media (76%). Anxiolytic sedation was required to overcome claustrophobia in 3.8%. Two per cent of all exams were terminated prematurely. No severe adverse events occurred. All moderate adverse events (0.5%) were associated with stress medication (1.7% of all stress tests) or contrast media (0.15% of all contrast enhanced studies). In the simulation, CMR influenced the individual selection of diagnostic testing and provided valuable information to establish or exclude a diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

This single-centre experience demonstrated a versatile application of CMR at reasonable time expense, safety, and robustness. The simulation of CMR-based decision-making indicated that CMR may influence patient management.