Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of the heart

Satisfactory NMR images of the heart can now be obtained using ECG gated inversion recovery and spin-echo sequences. The images obtained provide good anatomical information in the transverse, coronae, and sagittal planes, particularly of the myocardium and some intracardiac structures, such as cardiac valves and papillary muscle. The pericardium can be visualized, and so can the large vessels arising from the heart. Myocardial disease, in particular ischemia and infarction, is discussed in some detail, and mention is made of the cardiac aneurysms and various types of cardiomyopathy. Congenital heart disease and pericardial pathology are also briefly discussed.