Magnetic resonance imaging of the heart and the great vessels: morphology, function, and perfusion

The capability of MR imaging to evaluate cardiovascular disease is developing faster than ever, as is well documented by the numerous contributions that have been made to the literature during the past year. As the field progresses, MR imaging will probably become one of the preferred investigational methods for the evaluation of cardiac function. The first stage of MR imaging development emphasized replication of commonly used methods for studying morphology and analyzing global ventricular performance. Thus, validated MR imaging methods exist for the assessment of ventricular' volume, ejection fraction, and mean wall stress. More recently, emphasis has been directed toward the evaluation of regional function and perfusion, using novel methods and attracting increasing interest from the cardiovascular research community. Studies reviewed here focus on both clinical results obtained using well-established MR imaging techniques and new results using innovative methods, further extending the usefulness of MR imaging. Topics discussed include congenital and ischemic heart disease and disease of the great vessels. Technical advances in flow and velocity mapping and in the evaluation of ventricular performance are also discussed.