Late Gadolinium Enhancement in Cardiovascular MR Imaging

摘要

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is made possible by the phenomenon known as nuclear magnetic resonance, discovered in 1946 by physicists Felix Bloch and Edward M Purcell. Nuclear MR is the selective absorption of high-frequency radio waves by MR active atomic nuclei that interact with a strong stationary magnetic field. Nuclei exhibiting an odd mass number, where the amount of neutrons and protons differ, experience a net spin; these particles are MR active. Hydrogen atoms, abundant in the human body, contain MR active atomic nuclei. This is the primary concept behind image acquisition in MR imaging. MR imaging technology has progressed in its clinical capabilities since its inception, and today it provides clinicians with necessary information to diagnose, provide a prognosis, and treat heart disease. The noninvasive diagnostic imaging modalities clinicians use to evaluate underlying pathological conditions of the heart include echocardiography, radiotracer-based nuclear studies, computed tomography, and MR. These tools, in conjunction with cardiovascular MR (CMR) imaging, provide further insight for evaluating cardiac abnormalities; however, the use of late gadolinium-enhanced sequence with CMR can highlight areas of small myocardial infarcts that might be overlooked when other methods are applied.