OBSOLETE: MR Imaging of the Heart and the Great Vessels

Abstract

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has significantly advanced the field of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging in recent decades by improving upon existing and providing novel tools for cardiovascular disease assessment. In one single examination, CMR enables the investigation of cardiac and vascular anatomy, function, perfusion, flow, and tissue characteristics. The clinical applications of CMR are broad, including congenital heart disease and shunt quantification, valvular heart disease, ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathies, and evaluation of cardiovascular masses. The comprehensive assessment is facilitated by several advantages CMR possesses over other imaging modalities: high spatial and temporal resolution, excellent reproducibility and accuracy, achievement of good image quality at high body mass index, and the noninvasive characteristics of obtaining images in the absence of ionizing radiation or need for iodinated intravenous contrast. In this article, we will discuss the applications of CMR in clinical practice as well as both the advantages and disadvantages of CMR. The use of clinical CMR in line with guidelines and a contemporary evidence base takes appropriate advantage of this rapidly advancing and more widely available technique.