EuroCMR (European Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance) Registry Results of the German Pilot Phase

Objectives During its German pilot phase, the EuroCMR (European Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance) registry sought to evaluate indications, image quality, safety, and impact on patient management of routine CMR. Background CMR has a broad range of applications and is increasingly used in clinical practice. Methods This was a multicenter registry with consecutive enrollment of patients in 20 German centers. Results A total of 11,040 consecutive patients were enrolled. Eighty-eight percent of patients received gadolinium-based contrast agents. Twenty-one percent underwent adenosine perfusion, and 11% high-dose dobutamine-stress CMR. The most important indications were workup of myocarditis/cardiomyopathies (32%), risk stratification in suspected coronary artery disease/ischemia (31%), as well as assessment of viability (15%). Image quality was good in 90.1%, moderate in 8.1%, and inadequate in 1.8% of cases. Severe complications occurred in 0.05%, and were all associated with stress testing. No patient died during or due to CMR. In nearly two-thirds of patients, CMR findings impacted patient management. Importantly, in 16% of cases the final diagnosis based on CMR was different from the diagnosis before CMR, leading to a complete change in management. In more than 86% of cases, CMR was capable of satisfying all imaging needs so that no further imaging was required. Conclusions CMR is frequently performed in clinical practice in many participating centers. The most important indications are workup of myocarditis/cardiomyopathies, risk stratification in suspected coronary artery disease/ischemia, and assessment of viability. CMR imaging as used in the centers of the pilot registry is a safe procedure, has diagnostic image quality in 98% of cases, and its results have strong impact on patient management. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2009;54:1457-66) (C) 2009 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation