Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease affecting in particular the respiratory tract. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), including a measurement of T₁ relaxation time, could potentially detect early stadia of sarcoidosis of the heart. The study aims to assess T₁ mapping in the detection of early cardiac involvement in asymptomatic patients with sarcoidosis.

One hundred and twenty patients with extracardiac sarcoidosis and without any heart disease history were included. One hundred and thirteen of them underwent a CMR examination. The mean time from the diagnosis of sarcoidosis was 0.8 (0.2‐3.3) years. Cine images for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) functional parameters and pre‐ and post‐contrast saturation method using adaptive recovery times for cardiac T₁ mapping (SMART₁Map) and modified Look‐Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) images were acquired for the assessment of native T₁ relaxation time and extracellular volume (ECV). The measured parameters were compared between sarcoidosis patients and 22 controls.

The sarcoidosis patients had normal global and regional systolic LV function—LV ejection fraction 65 ± 5% versus 66 ± 7% (p NS). The mean native T₁ relaxation times were not prolonged—1465 ± 93 ms versus 1480 ± 88 ms (p NS) measured by SMART₁Map and 1317 ± 60 ms versus 1313 ± 83 ms (p NS) measured using a MOLLI sequence. Similarly, the mean ECV values did not increase—16.9 ± 3.9% versus 17.9 ± 3.7% (p NS) measured by SMART₁Map and 30.9 ± 2.9% versus 31.6 ± 8.3% (p NS) measured using a MOLLI sequence.

Myocardial native T₁ relaxation times were not prolonged and ECV was not increased in asymptomatic patients with extracardiac sarcoidosis.