[Cardiac magnetic resonance. Myth and reality]

Abstract

The authors report their own experience and a review of the current literature in the field of cardiac MR (CMR). Latest technical improvements now allow obtaining both anatomical and functional imaging of the beating heart and great vessels in most pathological conditions. Established CMR indications such as cardiac tumors, pericardial diseases, operated congenital heart diseases, valvular diseases, arythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, specific cardiomyopathies and great vessels of the thorax are reviewed and updated. Current applications in post myocardial infarction such as perfusion and viability imaging sequences are described. Moreover, CMR applications in syndrome X and myocarditis are evoked. Medical contra-indications and technical limitations of CMR are also discussed. Finally, the authors insist on the interest of a real partnership between radiologists and cardiologists for these procedures.