Classic Images in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Case-based Atlas Highlighting Current Applications of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

There have been tremendous technological advances in noninvasive cardiovascular imaging, offering the clinician unparalleled information from a variety of modalities. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the advantages of superior spatial resolution, detailed tissue characterization, and accurate quantitative assessment of cardiac structure and function, without the need for radiation exposure. Recent advances in image acquisition and postimage processing have led to clinically validated protocols for myocardial perfusion, late gadolinium enhancement, and coronary angiography. The following collection of images was selected to demonstrate the typical appearance of various cardiovascular conditions using MRI. There is, of course, much heterogeneity in both the phenotypic severity of a given condition as well as its appearance on MRI. This article, while not intended to be a comprehensive collection, aims to serve as an introduction to the current applications of cardiac MRI.