Cardiac magnetic resonance stress testing: results and prognosis

Abstract

Cardiac stress magnetic resonance (MR) testing has been developed and optimized in the past decade, reaching a high diagnostic performance. Its efficacy, together with its excellent safety profile and increasing availability, make cardiac stress MR testing one of the diagnostic modalities of choice for detecting ischemia. A noticeable series of studies validated the diagnosis of ischemia with MR compared with coronary angiography and other noninvasive diagnostic techniques and invasive hemodynamic measurements. In addition, first data on the usefulness of cardiac stress MR testing in assessing prognosis has become available. This article reviews the available literature about diagnostic performance of cardiac stress MR testing and its results in the prognostication of cardiac patients.