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. 2014 Jul 28;6(7):486–492. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v6.i7.486

Table 2.

Techniques used for detection of anticancer therapy cardiomiopathy

Methods Advantages Limits
Echocardiography Non-invasive Absence of adverse effects Analysis of systolic and diastolic function Tissue velocity imaging and strain imaging useful for early detection of subclinical alteration Inter- and intra-observer variability Low sensitivity of EF assessment for early diagnosis
Magnetic resonance imaging Accurate heart anatomic description Absence of radiation exposure Accurate and reproducible EF assessment Cardiac innervation assessment Limited availability High costs Not applicable in patients with metallic device Low information about its role in the early detection
Multiple-gated acquisition scintigraphy High sensitivity and specificity EF assessment No inter- and intra-observer variability Low sensitivity of EF for early diagnosis Less information about diastolic function Radiation exposure
Positron emission tomography Myocardial metabolic and perfusion evaluation Limited availability

EF: Ejection fraction.