Editorial: Pre-Interventional Cardiac Imaging

Matthias Renker^1*Maxim Avanesov²Dominik Buckert³

• ¹Department of Cardiology, Kerckhoff Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
• ²Clinic and Polyclinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
• ³Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany

Cardiac imaging techniques are essential for ensuring optimal results and increasing patient safety in the context of invasive cardiac procedures. The field of cardiac imaging has undergone significant advancements primarily through enhanced diagnostic precision that allows for sophisticated peri-procedural evaluation. Among the most relevant imaging modalities, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and cardiac computed tomography (CCT) have revolutionized risk assessment, procedural guidance, and postinterventional assessment and are therefore emphasized here.Echocardiography is the cornerstone of cardiac imaging as it is an easily accessible and portable modality for functional assessment offering dynamic visualization of cardiac motion, valve function, and also hemodynamics. While transthoracic echocardiography allows for immediate bedside evaluations in routine clinical practice, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) also facilitates guidance of interventional procedures by way of further enhanced diagnostic accuracy and more particularly featuring high-resolution images of posterior cardiac structures [1].CMR provides advanced tissue characterization with its ability to quantitatively assess focal and diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis, edema, perfusion, extracellular volume, and viability in a variety of different diseases [2][3][4][5][6]. The ability to quantify cardiac ventricular volumes and function as well as characterize myocardial tissue composition by novel mapping techniques [7] and 4D flow dynamics [8] with high reproducibility, makes CMR the reference standard for comprehensive cardiac assessment without ionizing radiation.CCT provides anatomical visualization with high spatial resolution, allowing for detailed assessment of coronary artery disease and cardiac anomalies [9]. Based on its central role in the evaluation of patients prior to transcatheter aortic valve implantation and other structural heart interventions, CCT is nowadays essential for pre-procedural structural heart disease management [10][11][12].Within this research collection, we present and discuss high-quality contributions from the field of cardiovascular imaging with focus on its pre-interventional role and beyond, aiming to cover recent advancements in the field, to familiarize readers with the current state-of-the-art and to provide an outlook into the future. The featured articles include original research articles, reviews as well as case reports highlighting the wide area of application covered by cardiac imaging.In the first of three selected case reports, Baltodano-Arellano et al. present a rare instance of a cardiac hematic cyst, detailing its imaging characteristics, differential diagnoses and surgical treatment. The accompanying literature review contextualizes the case within the broader spectrum of cardiac masses, offering valuable insights for clinicians encountering similar