Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for stage B heart failure.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can play a key role in the assessment and follow-up of patients with stage B heart failure. CMR currently serves as the reference standard for quantifying right and left ventricular size and ejection fraction. Technical advances have also enabled CMR to provide noninvasive tissue characterization and detailed assessments of myocardial performance. Thus, in addition to standard metrics of cardiac structure and function, CMR offers a variety of tools for determining cause, severity, and estimating the prognosis associated with an asymptomatic cardiomyopathy.