Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) Imaging in Pediatric Congenital and Acquired Heart Disease

Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) Imaging is a non-invasive diagnostic tool composed of a various—free of radiation—imaging techniques. CMR is designed to evaluate cardiovascular anatomy, ventricular function, blood flow quantification, coronary artery disease, myocardial disease, tissue characterization, and various other pathologies; however, CMR faces a number of major limitations and challenges especially in pediatric population. Currently, clinical CMR is performed mainly using 1.5 Tesla (field strength) systems with increasing number of CMR examinations being performed at 3 Tesla systems.