Advanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance techniques

There are many research activities to improve and extend cardiovascular MRI techniques. This chapter introduces a selection of developments that has the potential to enrich the clinical application in the future. Under the first topic of myocardial tissue characterization, parametric mapping is described, which comprises the pixelwise quantification of myocardial T1, T2 and T2* relaxation times. Furthermore, cardiac diffusion magnetic resonance imaging that provides non-invasive visualization of tissue microstructure is described, as well as techniques to analyze fat within the myocardium are elucidated. The second topic deals with the analysis of myocardial mechanics and introduces tissue phase mapping, feature tracking, DENSE and SENC that provide insights into the three-dimensional motion of the left ventricle. The third topic focuses on blood flow assessment: 4D-flow is described, which enables the visualization and quantification of flow patterns, as well as novel techniques for real-time flow quantification. The last part provides insight into achievements and outlooks of cardiovascular MRI at ultrahigh magnetic field strength