Essentials of cardiac MRI in clinical practice

Background Cardiac MRI (CMRI) is considered the “gold” standard for non-invasive characterization of cardiac function and viability as it allows the assessment of regional and global cardiac function, mass, volumes, myocardial perfusion, and tissue characterization. With its excellent soft-tissue differentiation, CMRI is the most important imaging modality for differentiating tumour from thrombus, distinguishing malignant from benign masses, and helps determine the extent of pericardial and myocardial invasion in cardiac masses. It is also indicated for evaluating cardiomyopathies, myocardial ischaemia or infarction, coronary artery disease, valvular disease, and complex congenital abnormalities.