Table 1.
Typical Noninvasive Tissue Characterization of Common Cardiac Masses With Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
| LGE Enhancement | T1-Weighted Imaging | T2-Weighted Imaging | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malignant tumors | |||
| Angiosarcoma | ++ | ↑ / ←→ / ↓ | ↑ / ←→ / ↓ |
| Rhabdomyosarcoma | +++ | ←→ | ↑↑↑ |
| Undifferentiated Sarcoma | ++ | ←→ | ↑↑↑ |
| Lymphoma | −/+ | ←→ | ←→ |
| Metastasis∗ | ++ | ↓↓ | ↑↑ |
| Benign tumors | |||
| Myxoma | ++ | ←→ | ↑↑ |
| Lipoma | − | ↑↑ | ↑↑ |
| Fibroma | ++++ | ←→ | ↓ |
| Rhabdomyoma | −/+ | ←→ | ←→/↑ |
| Non-tumor masses | |||
| Thrombus | − | ↓ / ↑ | ↓ / ↑ |
| Cysts | − | ↓↓ | ↑↑ |
All tumors can have atypical appearances because of altered tissue composition. T1- and T2-weighted imaging signal intensity is relative to myocardium.
↓ = low; ←→ = isointense; ↑ = high; − = no uptake; + = minimal late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) uptake; ++ = heterogenous LGE uptake; +++ = homogenous LGE uptake; ++++ = hyperenhancement; CMR = cardiovascular magnetic resonance.
∗
Metastatic melanoma has a high T1-weighted and a low T2-weighted signal intensity. Adapted with permission from Motwani et al. (9).