The expert consensus panel proposes this definition: „Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases of the myocardium associated with mechanical and/or electrical dysfunction that usually (but not invariably) exhibit inappropriate ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation and are due to a variety of causes that frequently are genetic” („Circulation”, 2006; no. 113, p.:1807-1816). The current arsenal of available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques can be used to define the many aspects of these often complex diseases, providing the clinician with a complete picture of the patients’ myocardial disorder. A single MR examination provides morphologic and functional data and a more accurate measurement of myocardial mass and ventricular function than is possible with echocardiography. Indeed, MR tissue characterization with T1-weighted and T2-weighted sequences and T1-weighted images after intravenous injection of paramagnetic contrast material (gadolinium) can provide useful information to identify specific cardiomyopathies