Abstract
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a set of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques designed to assess cardiovascular morphology, ventricular function, myocardial perfusion, tissue characterization, flow quantification and coronary artery disease. Since MRI is a non-invasive tool and free of radiation, it is suitable for longitudinal monitoring of treatment effect and follow-up of disease progress. Compared to MRI of other body parts, CMR faces specific challenges from cardiac and respiratory motion. Therefore, CMR requires synchronous cardiac and respiratory gating or breath-holding techniques to overcome motion artifacts. This article will review the basic principles of MRI and introduce the CMR techniques that can be optimized for enhanced clinical assessment. KEY WORDS: Cardiovascular MR • Coronary arteries • Flow quantification • Myocardial fibrosis • Myocardial perfusion • Myocardial scarring • Regional wall motion • Ventricular function.