Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Ischemic Heart Disease

Despite significant advancements in the treatment of ischemic heart disease (IHD), IHD remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. In addition, there remains clinical equipoise regarding a number of important management issues across the spectrum of IHD, from evaluating patients with chest pain in the emergency department, to deciding whether patients with chronic stable angina or severe ischemic cardiomyopathies should undergo invasive revascularization procedures. Recent data over the past 2 decades has demonstrated that cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is highly accurate and carries robust prognostic value in the evaluation of patients with both acute and chronic IHD. The combination of cine imaging for cardiac structure and function, late gadolinium enhancement imaging of myocardial scar, qualitative and quantitative measures of myocardial fibrosis, and stress perfusion imaging for the presence and extent of ischemia provides a comprehensive and detailed characterization of cardiac anatomy and physiology that guides critical treatment decisions for patients. This review aims to cover both the diagnostic and prognostic utility of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for the spectrum of IHD.