Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging signal characteristics of cardiac tumors in children.

The history of cardiac imaging began with creation of a radiographic shadow image (x-ray) of the thorax, shortly after the discovery of x-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen, in 1895, when Danzer described the cardiothoracic ratio in 1919 (2). By comparison, cardiac MRI, which became clinically feasible only in the late 1980s, is a young imaging modality (3). The course of development of each cardiac imaging modality includes a somewhat tumultuous road of gaining acceptance within the scientific community and, now more than ever, by the healthcare insurance industry. Each step has, of necessity, led to advances in cardiac imaging technology and research. Using developments in magnetic resonance (MR), cardiac imagers have borrowed sequences from imagers of other anatomy and invented new imaging sequences that provide specialized information about cardiac morphology, function, and assessment of blood flow through chambers and across valves, well beyond that which can be achieved with other individual cardiac imaging modalities. As magnet and radiofrequency technology has advanced, those working in cardiac imaging have taken full advantage of how properties of tissue composition affect the appearance or signal characteristics of myocardial tissue with cardiac MRI. For example muscle, the myocardium, is