Computed tomography of cardiomyopathies

Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases of the myocardium associated with mechanical and/or electrical dysfunction typically exhibiting inappropriate ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation in the absence of underlying ischemia, hypertension, valvular or congenital heart disease (1). Heart failure and cardiomyopathy are common entities affecting approximately 6.5 million people in the United States and becoming increasingly prevalent in recent years (2). Ischemic heart disease is by far the most common etiology of heart failure, with dilated cardiomyopathy being the most common primary cardiomyopathy (3). Several non-invasive imaging modalities are used in cardiomyopathies to effectively and efficiently diagnose, categorize, and guide subsequent therapies, which are of critical importance. Computed tomography (CT) is playing an increasingly important role in the evaluation of cardiomyopathies. In this article, we review the role of CT in the evaluation of cardiomyopathies