The use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnostic workup and treatment of atrial fibrillation
Open accessAbstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and imposes a huge clinical and economic burden. AF is correlated with an increased morbidity and mortality, mainly due to stroke and heart failure. Cardiovascular imaging modalities, including echocardiography, computed tomography (CT), and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), play a central role in the workup and treatment of AF. One of the major advantages of CMR is the high contrast to noise ratio combined with good spatial and temporal resolution, without any radiation burden. This allows a detailed assessment of the structure and function of the left atrium (LA). Of particular interest is the ability to visualize the extent of LA wall injury. We provide a focused review of the value of CMR in identifying the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of AF, its role in stroke prevention and in the guidance of radiofrequency catheter ablation. CMR is a promising technique that could add valuable information for therapeutic decision making in specific subpopulations with AF.
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Delayed-enhancement MRI of the left atrium using gadolinium contrast, T1 mapping using cardiac MRI, and intracardiac echo may help to guide treatment decisions in AF, but require external validation in multicentre studies.
“Delayed-enhancement MRI of the left atrium using gadolinium contrast, [345][346][347] T1 mapping using cardiac MRI, 347 and intracardiac echo 348 may help to guide treatment decisions in AF, but require external validation in multicentre studies.”
From 2016 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with EACTS (2016) · cites this paper as [346]
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2016 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with EACTS
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Unveiling the Notable Consequences in the Management of Anxiety Disorder
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Omic approach to atrial fibrillation
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- Authors
- Haemers, P., Claus, P., & Willems, R.
- Affiliations
- KU Leuven (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Willems, Rik
- Venue
- Cardiology Research and Practice
- Publisher
- Hindawi Limited
- Published
- 2012
- Volume
- 2012
- Pages
- 1-6
- ISSN
- 2090-0597 (ISSN-L)
- 2090-8016
- PMC
- PMC3512257
- OpenAlex
- W2007485298
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 0.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Cardiology Research and Practice (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Cardiac Imaging and Diagnostics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Arrhythmias and Treatments
- Keywords
- atrial fibrillation, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, left atrium, stroke prevention, radiofrequency catheter ablation, atrial fibrillation pathophysiology, heart failure, arrhythmia diagnosis
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