Heart MRI

Alternative names:

magnetic resonance imaging - cardiac; MRI of the heart; NMR - cardiac; nuclear magnetic resonance - cardiac

Normal values:

No abnormalities of size or position of the heart, heart valves, or blood vessels as viewed from any plane. No new growths or lesions. Normal heart function.

What abnormal results mean:

The sensitivity of MRI depends, in part, on the experience of the radiologist. As MRI becomes more common, increasingly detailed diagnosis may be possible.

A heart MRI may reveal disorders including:

• heart valve disorders
• pericardial effusion
• tumor invasion of blood vessels or pericardium (around the heart)
• left atrial myxoma
• atrial myxoma; right
• congenital heart abnormalities (such as pulmonary atresia)
• fibrosis or scarring of heart muscle
• extent of necrosis (tissue death) of heart muscle (after acute MI)

A heart MRI can show intracellular metabolism and evaluate the response of the heart tissues to treatments.