[Applications of nuclear magnetic resonance in the diagnosis of cardiopathies].

Applications of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in cardiovascular diagnosis. The role of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of cardiovascular system is still evolving. Nevertheless, this technique is of great promise for cardiac patient management in the near future. Magnetic resonance imaging provides a high contrast between the blood pool and myocardial function that has been shown to be effective for the evaluation of a wide variety of anatomic abnormalities as well as to assess cardiac contractile function or myocardial perfusion. Moreover, magnetic resonance spectroscopy has provided a new research tool for the evaluation of myocardial metabolism. Such performances indicate the potential of magnetic resonance techniques to establish the link between myocardial function and metabolism. In this presentation we will review the current status of magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis and evaluation of a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases and discuss its future potential.