State-of-the-Art Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Ischemia by Stress Perfusion Cardiac Magnetic Resonance

Abstract

Ischemic heart disease remains the foremost determinant of death and disability across the world. Quantification of the ischemia burden is currently the preferred approach to predict event risk and to trigger adequate treatment. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can be a prime protagonist in this scenario due to its synergistic features. It allows assessment of wall motility, myocardial perfusion, and tissue scar by means of late gadolinium enhancement imaging. We discuss the clinical and preclinical aspects of gadolinium-based, perfusion CMR imaging, including the relevance of high spatial resolution and 3-dimensional whole-heart coverage, among important features of this auspicious method.

Keywords: Cardiac magnetic resonance and stress perfusion; Cardiovascular magnetic resonance; Myocardial ischemia; Myocardial perfusion; Quantitative ischemia assessment.