[Current state of non-invasive methods in the study of coronary arteries and surgical bypass grafts]

The advantages of visualizing the coronary arteries by means of a non-invasive technique as an alternative to conventional angiography are obvious. Echocardiography and computed tomography have not proved to be useful in this application. Magnetic resonance imaging, however, has recently been reported as a method able to depict reliable images of the coronary vessels, including the visualization of stenotic lesions. Unfortunately, these preliminary data have not yet been followed by studies confirming the usefulness of the technique in practice, probably because of the complexity of the current magnetic resonance imaging methods and, also, to the difficulties that the intricate coronary arterial tree poses to a tomographic imaging method such as magnetic resonance imaging. On the other hand, in particular aspects of the spectrum of coronary diseases, as anomalous congenital origin of the vessels or assessment of patency of venous bypass grafts, magnetic resonance imaging has proved to be of value and may be considered a useful diagnostic tool in clinical practice.