New findings and the role of cardiac imaging in myocarditis and related induced cardiomyopathy

Introduction: Myocarditis is an acquired primary cardiomyopathy due to viral inflammation. Despite the simplicity of this definition, the management, diagnosis, treatment as well the eventual evolution toward dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains a problem in clinical practice. We review the role of genetic and non-invasive cardiac imaging techniques in myocarditis and related induced cardiomyopathy. Conclusions: The most important non-invasive techniques in the diagnostic algorithm of myocarditis are 2D echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance. CMR represents the gold standard for its high sensibility, specificity and spatial resolution.