Cardiac masses, part 1: imaging strategies and technical considerations.

Abstract

The objective of this article is to discuss optimal imaging strategies for the evaluation of cardiac masses. The advantages and disadvantages of echocardiography, cardiac MRI, gated cardiac CT, and nuclear imaging will be discussed and specific techniques presented. Multimodality imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and surgical planning of cardiac masses. Clinical features, such as patient age, location, and imaging characteristics of the mass will determine the likely differential diagnosis.