Cardiovascular magnetic resonance for evaluation of cardiac involvement in COVID-19: recommendations by the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic that has affected nearly 600 million people to date across the world. While COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness, cardiac injury is also known to occur. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is uniquely capable of characterizing myocardial tissue properties in-vivo, enabling insights into the pattern and degree of cardiac injury. The reported prevalence of myocardial involvement identified by CMR in the context of COVID-19 infection among previously hospitalized patients ranges from 26 to 60%. Variations in the reported prevalence of myocardial involvement may result from differing patient populations (e.g. differences in severity of illness) and the varying intervals between acute infection and CMR evaluation. Standardized methodologies in image acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of CMR abnormalities across would likely improve concordance between studies. This consensus document by the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) provides recommendations on CMR imaging and reporting metrics towards the goal of improved standardization and uniform data acquisition and analytic approaches when performing CMR in patients with COVID-19 infection.

Automated summary

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that has affected nearly 600 million people worldwide. While primarily a respiratory illness, COVID-19 can also cause cardiac injury. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging can provide insights into the pattern and degree of cardiac injury. The reported prevalence of myocardial involvement among COVID-19 patients evaluated with CMR ranges from 26% to 60%. Standardized methodologies in imaging and reporting would likely improve consistency between studies. The Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) provides recommendations for standardized CMR imaging and reporting in COVID-19 patients.