The Role and Advantages of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in the Diagnosis of Myocardial Ischemia

Abstract

Ischemic heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. For the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, some form of cardiac stress test involving exercise or pharmacological stimulation continues to play an important role, despite advances within modalities like computer tomography for the noninvasive detection and characterization of epicardial coronary lesions. Among noninvasive stress imaging tests, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) combines several capabilities that are highly relevant for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease: assessment of wall motion abnormalities, myocardial perfusion imaging, and depiction of replacement and interstitial fibrosis markers by late gadolinium enhancement techniques and T1 mapping. On top of these qualities, CMR is also well tolerated and safe in most clinical scenarios, including in the presence of cardiovascular implantable devices, while in the presence of renal disease, gadolinium-based contrast should only be used according to guidelines. CMR also offers outstanding viability assessment and prognostication of cardiovascular events. The last 2019 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for chronic coronary syndromes has positioned stress CMR as a class I noninvasive imaging technique for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease in symptomatic patients. In the present review, we present the current state-of-the-art assessment of myocardial ischemia by stress perfusion CMR, highlighting its advantages and current shortcomings. We discuss the safety, clinical, and cost-effectiveness aspects of gadolinium-based CMR-perfusion imaging for ischemic heart disease assessment.