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Magnetic resonance imaging of cardiac and pericardial disease
1Département d'Imagerie Diagnostique et Thérapeutique, Hopital Cardiovasculaire et Pneumologique Lyon, France.
Insights
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is increasingly vital for diagnosing heart conditions like masses and congenital defects. This review covers technical aspects and clinical applications of cardiac MRI.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging and Diagnostics
- Medical Physics and Engineering
Background:
- Current cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications primarily focus on major vessels, with less emphasis on the heart itself.
- Despite this, MRI is crucial for diagnosing specific cardiovascular pathologies including intracardiac and paracardiac masses, pericardial disease, and congenital heart disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the technical aspects of cardiac MRI.
- To describe the current and potential clinical and investigative applications of cardiac MRI.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature and technical principles of cardiovascular MRI.
- Description of established and emerging clinical applications.
Main Results:
- Cardiovascular MRI offers non-invasive visualization and three-dimensional analysis of cardiac anatomy.
- MRI is particularly effective for evaluating intracardiac masses, pericardial disease, and congenital heart disease.
Conclusions:
- Cardiovascular MRI is poised for significant growth and impact in clinical practice and research.
- Further exploration of its technical and clinical applications is warranted.
Abstract:
To date, most application of cardiovascular MRI relate to the evaluation of major vessels rather than the heart itself. However, MRI plays a major role in the evaluation of specific types of cardiovascular pathology, namely intracardiac and paracardiac masses, pericardial disease, and congenital heart disease. Because the visualization of cardiovascular anatomy with MR is non-invasive and permits three-dimensional analysis, it is clear that MRI will have a growing and significant impact over the next years. We will review some of the technical aspects of cardiac MRI and will describe the current and potential clinical and investigative applications of this new methodology.