Fogante Marco, Argalia Giulia, Esposto Pirani Paolo, Romagnolo Cinzia, Balardi Liliana, Argalia Giulio, Fringuelli Fabio Massimo, Schicchi Nicolò
Maternal-Child-Senological-Cardiological Radiology and Outpatient Ultrasound, Department of Radiological Sciences, University Hospital of Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy.
Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiological Sciences, University Hospital of Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 Jun 30;15(13):1670. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15131670.
Hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) is an emerging imaging modality that combines metabolic and anatomical data in a single session, offering promising diagnostic performance in various cardiac conditions. However, its role in inflammatory cardiac diseases (ICDs), such as myopericarditis and endocarditis, remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic value of PET/MRI in ICDs through a systematic review of the literature, complemented by our institutional experience. We conducted a systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase up to April 2025, using keywords including "PET/MRI," "PET/MR", "myocarditis", "endocarditis", "pericarditis", "inflammatory heart disease", and "inflammatory cardiac disease". Studies reporting the use of hybrid PET/MRI in ICDs were included and analyzed. Additionally, we retrospectively reviewed clinical and imaging data from 33 consecutive patients who underwent PET/MRI in our center for suspected myopericarditis or endocarditis between September 2022 and March 2025. The systematic review identified 12 eligible studies evaluating PET/MRI in ICDs, highlighting its added value in cases with inconclusive findings on standalone MRI or PET. Common advantages reported included improved localization of active inflammation, better characterization of tissue damage, and enhanced diagnostic confidence. In our cohort, hybrid PET/MRI was considered diagnostically useful in 16/21 (76%) of myopericarditis cases and 9/12 (75%) of endocarditis cases, particularly for reclassifying uncertain findings and guiding clinical management. The combined analysis of the current literature and real-world clinical experience supports the diagnostic utility of hybrid PET/MRI in the evaluation of ICDs. This multimodal approach improves the interpretation of equivocal cases, facilitates accurate diagnosis, and may influence therapeutic decisions. However, larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and establish standardized protocols.
混合正电子发射断层扫描/磁共振成像(PET/MRI)是一种新兴的成像模式,可在一次检查中结合代谢和解剖数据,在各种心脏疾病中展现出良好的诊断性能。然而,其在诸如心肌炎和心内膜炎等炎症性心脏病(ICD)中的作用仍未得到充分探索。本研究旨在通过对文献的系统回顾并结合我们机构的经验,评估PET/MRI在ICD中的诊断价值。我们对截至2025年4月的PubMed、Scopus和Embase进行了系统回顾,使用了包括“PET/MRI”“PET/MR”“心肌炎”“心内膜炎”“心包炎”“炎症性心脏病”等关键词。纳入并分析了报告在ICD中使用混合PET/MRI的研究。此外,我们回顾性分析了2022年9月至2025年3月期间在我们中心因疑似心肌炎或心内膜炎接受PET/MRI检查的33例连续患者的临床和影像数据。系统回顾确定了12项评估PET/MRI在ICD中应用的合格研究,突出了其在单独MRI或PET检查结果不明确的病例中的附加价值。报告的常见优势包括改善活动性炎症的定位﹑更好地描述组织损伤以及增强诊断信心。在我们的队列中,混合PET/MRI在21例心肌炎病例中的16例(76%)和12例心内膜炎病例中的9例(75%)中被认为具有诊断价值,特别是在重新分类不确定的检查结果和指导临床管理方面。当前文献与实际临床经验的综合分析支持混合PET/MRI在ICD评估中的诊断效用。这种多模态方法改善了对疑难病例的解读,有助于准确诊断,并可能影响治疗决策。然而,需要更大规模的前瞻性研究来证实这些发现并建立标准化方案。