Noninvasive functional imaging of the heart using MRI: opportunities and challenges

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides high spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and tissue contrast. It is ideally suited for the noninvasive assessment of cardiac structure and function. For routine cardiac patient management, functional assessment includes ventricular and valvular function, myocardial viability, perfusion, and metabolism. Highly desired but not yet available for managing myocardial infarction is the noninvasive assessment of coronary plaque vulnerability. MRI offers great potential in the functional evaluation of both ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. For these important roles in cardiac imaging, the current status of MRI technology is reviewed and its future developments are discussed.