Тechnical aspects of cardiac magnetic resonance tomography

Abstract

Cardiac magnetic resonance tomography (CMRT) is a method of high diagnostic value in the assessment of cardiac vitality through the application of various perfusion techniques, as well as in the evaluation and diagnosis of early myocardial ischemic changes. The aim of this article is to review the different technical aspects of CMRT. A major problem in CMRT studies is the deterioration of image quality due to the presence of motion artefacts. This necessitates the development of ECG-gated and respiratory triggered or breath-holding techniques and their implementation in practice. In contrast to most other applications of MRT, the planes used in CMRT are defined with respect to the orientation of the heart so that they are parallel and orthogonal to the cardiac axes. Two main groups of sequences are used in CMRT: 1) to determine morphology, function, and blood flow and 2) to provide good tissue contrast of the heart. Technological development of the method has not stopped, and techniques and pulse sequences continue to be developed to improve the diagnostic capabilities of CMRT. Through proper planning, a thorough understanding of the cardiac planes, and appropriate selection of technical parameters for the respective sequences depending on the clinical finding being addressed, a successful performance of each CMRT study is achieved.