The medical histories, laboratory results, cardiac findings, and treatments of the cases that were diagnosed with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children between December 2020 and August 2021 were evaluated retrospectively.

Our study group consisted of 14 males and 12 females whose median age was 3.67 years. Of the 26 patients, 24 had echocardiographic findings and 12 cases had cardiac pathologies that were mostly mild. Among these, mitral valve insufficiency, coronary artery pathology, and pericardial effusion were the most common. Perivascular brightness, aortic and tricuspid insufficiency, systolic dysfunction, and tricuspid thrombosis were less common. The cardiac pathologies of all patients resolved in less than a month following treatment.

Although the cardiac pathologies of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children cases disappear fairly rapidly, the long-term cardiac effects of this disease are not known clearly. To improve our current understanding of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, more multi-centred studies with long-term follow-up periods should be conducted, and treatment protocols for cases of different severities should be developed to maximise the treatments’ efficacy.

Specimens of the normal and congenitally abnormal heart have been long preserved, collected, and studied. It is increasingly difficult to add to such pathological collections. These museum pieces are often inaccessible for teaching purposes. Magnetic resonance imaging of old pathological specimens could produce high-resolution unalterable datasets that could be processed to create three-dimensional reconstructions using inexpensive systems that could be used by untrained individuals. To our knowledge, the concept of “Virtual Autopsy” has not been applied to cardiac specimens of museum collections.

To determine optimal sequences and assure specimen safety, five different pulse sequences designed to create three-dimensional datasets were tried on a uterus specimen suspended in a fluid-filled glass container, using a 1.5 Tesla scanner with an eight-channel phased-array coil. Having found the best sequences and established specimen integrity, we scanned six historical heart specimens in their original fluid-filled glass containers. The datasets were processed on a laptop with a DICOM viewer available as freeware.

All specimens were successfully scanned. The best image quality was obtained by using a three-dimensional FSPGR and the BRAVO pulse sequences. High-resolution three-dimensional and multi-planar image processing was possible for all datasets. Detailed examination of the specimens could be easily performed.

Pathological specimens can successfully be scanned in minutes resulting in unalterable and portable high-resolution three-dimensional datasets that can be processed by using inexpensive readily available software. The final cardiac reconstructions can be widely shared for educational and scientific purposes and ensure a lasting access to pathological specimens.