Cardiovascular applications of magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a completely noninvasive modality that has shown significant promise for the evaluation of the cardiovascular system. Our imaging technique employed electrocardiographic (ECG) gating, which resulted in well-resolved images of the cardiac structures. Patients and animals with a variety of cardiovascular abnormalities were also assessed with this technique; the abnormalities included acute and remote myocardial infarctions and their sequelae, atherosclerotic plaques, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, pericardial diseases, and aneurysms. The diagnostic utility of MRI includes direct tissue characterization, and such utility may be further extended by the use of paramagnetic contrast media. In addition, metabolic imaging of elements other than hydrogen may further increase the clinical potential of MRI for assessment of the cardiovascular system.