The Role of Multi-modality Imaging in the Diagnosis of Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Focused Update

Shaun Khanna; Ivy Wen; Aditya Bhat; Henry H L Chen; Gary C H Gan; Faraz Pathan; Timothy C Tan

doi:10.3389/fcvm.2020.590557

The Role of Multi-modality Imaging in the Diagnosis of Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Focused Update

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2020 Oct 30:7:590557. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2020.590557. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Shaun Khanna¹, Ivy Wen¹, Aditya Bhat^{1

2}, Henry H L Chen¹, Gary C H Gan^{1

2}, Faraz Pathan³, Timothy C Tan^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, Blacktown Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
² School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
³ Department of Cardiovascular Imaging, Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a unique disease entity involving an infiltrative process, typically resulting in a restrictive cardiomyopathy with diastolic heart failure that ultimately progresses to systolic heart failure. The two most common subtypes are light-chain and transthyretin amyloidosis. Early diagnosis of this disease entity, especially light-chain CA subtype, is crucial, as it portends a poorer prognosis. This review focuses on the clinical utility of the various imaging modalities in the diagnosis and differentiation of CA subtypes. This review also aims to highlight the key advances in each of the imaging modalities in the diagnosis and prognostication of CA.

Keywords: CT cardiac scan; DPD scintigraphy; cardiac MRI; cardiac amyloidosis; global longitudinal strain; pet scan; speckle tracking echocardiography.

Publication types

Review