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(Circulation. 2003;108:647.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Special Review: Clinician Update

Clinical Use of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

Gerald M. Pohost, MD; Lynne Hung, MD; Mark Doyle, PhD

From the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, Calif (G.M.P., L.H.), and the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa (M.D.).

Correspondence to Gerald M. Pohost, MD, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, 1355 San Pablo St, Suite 117, Los Angeles, CA 90089. E-mail pohost@usc.edu

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Technology of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

Overview
Whenever cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is applicable, it usually provides the standard for diagnostic evaluation. With a state-of-the-art CMR system, it is possible to acquire technically superior images with great diagnostic value. CMR is entering the early majority user phase of technology adoption.¹

A period of rapid growth is anticipated as users understand and acquire the technology. Thus, a modality conceived in the last quarter of the 20th century should flourish in the 21st century. The most recent systems include shorter bore 1.5 Tesla magnets. However, CMR is on the brink of a change in magnetic field strength to 3.0T. This will decrease the imaging time, improve image quality, and detect ischemia directly using spectroscopy.

It has frequently been claimed that CMR can provide virtually all of the information needed to assess heart disease. However, such claims become a liability without full realization in a reasonable period of time. CMR is now at the stage where it should be routinely applied clinically (see Table 1 for definitions of some common CMR terminology).

View this table: [in this window] [in a new window]   TABLE 1. CMR Terminology

Magnetic Resonance Hardware
Magnetic resonance systems consist of 3 major components (Figure 1):

(1) The magnet: Uses niobium-titanium wire that conducts with zero resistance when cooled to the temperature of liquid helium.

(2) The radiofrequency (RF) coils: Generate radio waves at a frequency determined by the field strength of the magnet and by the atomic nucleus (ie, hydrogen) to be imaged. The RF coil has 2 functions: (a) to transmit signal into the body and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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