Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis and evaluation of myocardial infarction

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with the aid of MR contrast agents may be helpful to assess myocardial infarct size, the area at risk, and myocardial viability. MR contrast agents may also prove useful for evaluating myocardial perfusion with ultrafast MR imaging techniques. Dynamic cine MR imaging is an accurate method to assess regional myocardial dysfunction in ischemic heart disease. In addition, myocardial contraction can be determined by MR imaging under pharmacological stress or by direct tracking of wall motion with MR myocardial tagging. Combining the information from these MR imaging techniques provides a comprehensive evaluation of patients with coronary artery disease.