Published online Nov 26, 2018. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v10.i11.210
Peer-review started: July 17, 2018
First decision: July 31, 2018
Revised: September 4, 2018
Accepted: October 9, 2018
Article in press: October 9, 2018
Published online: November 26, 2018
Processing time: 133 Days and 14.8 Hours
Cardiovascular diseases represent the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the western world. Assessment of cardiac function is pivotal for early diagnosis of primitive myocardial disorders, identification of cardiac involvement in systemic diseases, detection of drug-related cardiac toxicity as well as risk stratification and monitor of treatment effects in patients with heart failure of various etiology. Determination of ejection fraction with different imaging modalities currently represents the gold standard for evaluation of cardiac function. However, in the last few years, cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking techniques has emerged as a more accurate tool for quantitative evaluation of cardiovascular function with several parameters including strain, strain-rate, torsion and mechanical dispersion. This imaging modality allows precise quantification of ventricular and atrial mechanics by directly evaluating myocardial fiber deformation. The purpose of this article is to review the basic principles, current clinical applications and future perspectives of cardiovascular magnetic resonance myocardial feature tracking, highlighting its prognostic implications.
Core tip: Cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking analysis is progressively establishing its role as an accurate tool to for quantitative evaluation of cardiovascular function by directly evaluating myocardial fiber deformation. Feature-tracking derived strain parameters are able to identify subtle myocardial abnormalities before overt clinical manifestation thus allowing early diagnosis of primitive cardiomyopathies, identification of cardiac involvement in systemic diseases, detection of drug-related cardiac toxicity as well as risk stratification and monitor of treatment effects in patients with heart failure of various etiology. The present article summarizes the basic principles, current applications and future perspectives of cardiovascular magnetic resonance myocardial feature tracking.