The role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in rheumatic heart disease

Cardiovascular involvement is a well-known feature of inflammatory rheumatic diseases, although often clinically silent, so early cardiovascular involvement may remain unrecognised. Thus, increased awareness and improved insights into the pathomechanisms of heart disease in the context of inflammatory rheumatic disease has led to an emerging role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) as an accurate and non-invasive diagnostic test for detection of early (as well as late) cardiovascular involvement in inflammatory rheumatic disease. The present article will review the current potential as well as the limitations of established and emerging, qualitative and quantitative CMR techniques in the setting of inflammatory rheumatic disease and shed some light onto current developments in the field.