Cardiovascular magnetic resonance for the interventionist.

Abstract

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) continues to provide exceptional quality images of cardiac and major vessel anatomy, but recent advances now permit a rapid, robust assessment of a diverse spectrum of functional and physiological parameters. In the routine CMR investigation of ischaemic heart disease, clinicians are now faced with an array of real time on-line rest and stress images that encompass cardiac function, perfusion, the presence of infarcted, viable and ischaemic myocardium, as well as metabolism. The implementation of cardiac dedicated scanners, the ever increasing array of diagnostic information available, and the increasing clinical demand for all forms of CMR investigation has seen the integration of MRI into cardiology, with cardiologists becoming increasingly involved at every stage. With the advent of CMR directed intervention and CMR directed therapy, together with the development of combined cardiovascular interventional CMR laboratories, interventional cardiologists in particular now themselves in the forefront of this pioneering technology.This article reviews the key areas of CMR that pertain to the modern interventional cardiologist.