MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (CARDIAC MRI)

Cardiac imaging is a rapidly growing field. Lately, 3D imaging and functional evaluation of the heart has been possible with MRI.

This is an examination that offers us highly specialized quality information about the entire myocardial wall, heart cavities, the pericardium and the large vessels. It can render in detail each individual structure of the heart. It is the gold-standard test for evaluation of heart function and measurment intra-cardiac volumes. It is especially useful in the diagnosis of patients evaluated for myocarditis or cardiomyopathy. It can be combined with a stress test (as well as echocardiography) in order to evaluate for ischemic heart disease.

Despite its diagnostic advantages and the fact that the patient is not exposed to radiation, it is not yet a routine examination. This is because it may not be available immediately, it has increased financial cost and is relatively time consuming (45 – 60 minutes during which the patient must remain still)