Cardiac magnetic resonance

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR), also known as Cardiac MRI, is a non-invasive imaging technology that provides detailed images of the heart and its surrounding structures. It uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves, and a computer to produce high-resolution images of the heart, allowing for the assessment of cardiac anatomy, function, and tissue characteristics.

History

The development of cardiac MRI began in the late 20th century, building on the principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which was first demonstrated in the early 1970s. The application of MRI to cardiac imaging required significant advancements in technology and software to account for the motion of the heart and blood flow.

Principles

Cardiac MRI works on the same basic principles as standard MRI. It involves the alignment of hydrogen protons in the body using a strong magnetic field. Radiofrequency pulses are then used to disturb this alignment, and as the protons return to their original state, they emit signals that are detected and used to construct images.

Techniques

Several techniques are used in cardiac MRI to obtain different types of information:

• Cine MRI: Provides moving images of the heart, allowing for the assessment of cardiac function and wall motion.
• Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE): Used to identify scar tissue in the heart muscle, which is important in the assessment of myocardial infarction and cardiomyopathies.
• T1 and T2 Mapping: Techniques that provide quantitative information about the tissue characteristics of the myocardium.

Clinical Applications

Cardiac MRI is used in a variety of clinical scenarios, including:

• Assessment of cardiomyopathy and myocarditis.
• Evaluation of congenital heart disease.
• Detection and characterization of myocardial infarction.
• Assessment of valvular heart disease.
• Evaluation of pericardial disease.

Advantages

Cardiac MRI offers several advantages over other imaging modalities:

• It provides high-resolution images without the use of ionizing radiation.
• It can assess both the structure and function of the heart in a single examination.
• It offers superior soft tissue contrast compared to Computed Tomography (CT).

Limitations

Despite its advantages, cardiac MRI has some limitations:

• It is contraindicated in patients with certain types of metallic implants or devices.
• It is more expensive and less widely available than other imaging modalities like echocardiography or CT.
• The examination can be lengthy and may not be suitable for patients who are unable to remain still for extended periods.

Also see

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Echocardiography
• Computed Tomography
• Cardiomyopathy
• Myocardial Infarction

Cardiovascular disease A-Z

Most common cardiac diseases

• Cardiac arrhythmia‎
• Cardiogenetic disorders‎
• Cardiomegaly‎
• Cardiomyopathy‎
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation‎
• Chronic rheumatic heart diseases‎
• Congenital heart defects‎
• Heart neoplasia‎
• Ischemic heart diseases‎
• Pericardial disorders
• Syndromes affecting the heart‎
• Valvular heart disease‎

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Accelerated idioventricular rhythm
• Acute decompensated heart failure
• Arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Athletic heart syndrome
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular fistula
• Cardiovascular disease in Australia
• Autoimmune heart disease

B

• Brown atrophy of the heart

C

• Ebb Cade
• Cardiac allograft vasculopathy
• Cardiac amyloidosis
• Cardiac asthma
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiogeriatrics
• Cardiorenal syndrome
• Cardiotoxicity
• Carditis
• Coronary artery aneurysm
• Coronary artery anomaly
• Coronary artery disease
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Coronary artery ectasia
• Coronary occlusion
• Coronary steal
• Coronary thrombosis
• Coronary vasospasm
• Cœur en sabot
• Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy

D

• Duke Treadmill Score
• Duroziez's disease

E

• Eisenmenger's syndrome
• Embryocardia
• Endocardial fibroelastosis
• Eosinophilic myocarditis

H

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Heart to Heart (1949 film)
• High-output heart failure
• Hyperdynamic precordium

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

• Idiopathic giant-cell myocarditis
• Interventricular dyssynchrony
• Intraventricular dyssynchrony
• Isolated atrial amyloidosis

K

• Keshan disease

L

• Loeffler endocarditis

M

• Mydicar
• Myocardial bridge
• Myocardial disarray
• Myocardial rupture
• Myocardial scarring
• Myocardial stunning
• Myocarditis

N

• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis

O

• OLR1
• Ostial disease

P

• Papillary fibroelastoma
• Pathophysiology of heart failure
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Pulmonary vein stenosis

R

• Right axis deviation
• Roemheld syndrome

S

• Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease
• SCAR-Fc
• Shone's syndrome
• Strain pattern
• Subacute bacterial endocarditis
• Sudden cardiac death of athletes

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

• Traumatic cardiac arrest

V

• Ventricular aneurysm
• Vibroacoustic disease
• Viral cardiomyopathy

W

• Waon therapy