Acute ischaemic heart disease

Abstract

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) plays an increasing role in the non-invasive assessment of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and related conditions. CMR allows reliable assessment of contractile function, detailed visualization of myocardial infarction, and detection and quantification of the area at ischaemic risk, microvascular obstruction, and myocardial haemorrhage. CMR is used in research that furthers the understanding of the pathophysiology of ACS, in clinical practice to differentiate ACS from other diagnoses such as myocarditis, to detect and follow up complications of myocardial infarction (MI) such as aneurysm formation, and to risk-stratify patients with acute MI. As a result, the role of CMR in acute presentations of ischaemic heart disease continues to expand and is increasingly recognized in international practice guidelines.