Cardiovasc Imaging Asia.  2017 Jan;1(1):49-59. 10.22468/cvia.2016.00066.

Cardiac MR Assessment of Coronary Arteries

• Hamdy A
• Ishida M
• Sakuma H

• KMID: 2524830
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22468/cvia.2016.00066

Abstract

Imaging of coronary arteries with magnetic resonance has undergone undeniable progress during the past two decades. Although coronary computed tomography angiography detects coronary artery disease (CAD) with excellent diagnostic accuracy, the inevitable exposure to ionizing radiation and iodinated contrast administration make it less appealing in certain patient populations. Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is now performed mostly as a whole heart, free breathing, three-dimensional study. Several factors influence quality and speed of the scan, including use of the appropriate pulse sequence according to the strength of the magnetic field, cardiac and respiratory gating, preparation pulses, multi-channel cardiac coils, parallel imaging, and contrast material injection. The use of coronary MRA is well established in coronary artery anomalies and aneurysms. While diagnostic performance has also improved markedly for the detection of CAD, coronary MRA is not yet a routine clinical study. However, coronary MRA is expected to be play a major role in the near future due to continuous research and technical achievements.

Keyword

Heart; Coronary vessels; Magnetic resonance angiography; Coronary artery disease