Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), also called cardiac MRI or heart MRI, three-dimensional diagnostic imaging technique used to visualize the heart and its blood vessels without the need for X-rays or other forms of radiation. Cardiac MRI employs a steady magnetic field, a radio-frequency transmission system, and computer technology to generate detailed pictures and brief videos of the beating heart. The images produced provide valuable information about heart structure and function. Cardiac MRI is used to diagnose a variety of heart conditions, including coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease), congenital heart defects, pericarditis (inflammation of the membranous sac enveloping the heart), cardiomyopathies (weaknesses in the heart muscle), heart valve disease, aneurysm (pathological widening of an artery), arrhythmias (abnormalities in heart rhythm), and cardiac tumours.
Cardiac MRI is performed with the patient lying on his or her back on an imaging table. Electrodes are placed on the patient’s chest to monitor heart rhythm during the procedure. A special coil consisting of a radio-frequency transmitter is secured around the chest; this arrangement improves image quality by increasing radio signal strength, since the coil is located close to the tissue being examined. The imaging table is then moved inside a cylindrical magnetic scanning machine. A background magnetic field is used to align protons within the nuclei of hydrogen atoms in the heart tissue (hydrogen occurs abundantly in heart tissue in the form of water). The radio-frequency field (essentially a second magnetic field) is then pulsed on and off, causing the protons to change their orientation and thereby generating a signal that is detected by the scanner. These signals are converted into an image, and during a single session a doctor collects a series of images, often from several different angles. Cardiac MRI procedures typically last between 30 and 90 minutes. In some cases, to improve the visualization of the heart and its blood vessels, a patient may receive an intravenous injection with a contrast agent such as gadolinium.
Cardiac MRI is sometimes employed for stress testing, in which heart rate or blood flow to the heart is increased artificially through drug administration in order to detect obstructions in the coronary arteries or other heart vessels. In persons with coronary heart disease, cardiac MRI may be used to predict heart function prior to angioplasty or coronary artery bypass; in patients who have undergone these procedures, cardiac MRI can be used as a form of surveillance for signs of disease progression, including restenosis (the return of artery blockages). Although there are relatively few risks associated with cardiac MRI, the procedure can interfere with the function of metallic implants such as pacemakers, and some persons experience allergic reactions upon exposure to contrast agents.