Role of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Postoperative Follow-Up After the Arterial Switch Operation for Transposition of the Great Arteries

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (MR) plays a major role in the evaluation of patients with transposition of the great arteries, especially during follow-up after surgical intervention such as the arterial switch operation (ASO). It is recommended in recent guidelines that cardiovascular MR should be integrated in the routine evaluation of all postoperative patients with transposition of the great arteries with the frequency dependent on nature of the operation, patient status, and other available clinical data. In some cases, cardiac MR should be considered the primary method for routine noninvasive evaluation with annual or biennial studies.