Advanced Tissue Characterisation Techniques in the Diagnosis and Management of Heart Disease

Non-invasive myocardial tissue characterisation - when cardiac imaging techniques are used to attain information about the heart muscle without the use of invasive biopsy - has greatly enhanced the speed and accuracy of diagnosis for patients with cardiovascular disease. Perhaps more importantly, specific sequences on echocardiography (cardiac ultrasound) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging have given information about individual patient prognosis and management, which was not even possible through invasive means. In this thesis different CMR sequences and advanced echocardiography techniques were used to further understand diagnosis, prognosis and treatment in non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy, acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.