Der stellenwert der magnetresonanztomographie in der diagnostik der koronaren herzerkrankung

As the number of diagnostic coronary angiographies without subsequent revascularization procedures is continuously rising, the need for non-invasive diagnostic procedures with a high diagnostic accuracy is well appreciated. Because of the technical advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over the last few years, major improvements have been made in the functional assessment of wall motion, myocardial perfusion and coronary flow measurements, as well as the visualization of the anatomy of the coronary arteries by MRI. Besides these classical parameters of ischemia and anatomical pathology, for the first time MRI might offer the possibility to not only non-invasively assess the lumen of the coronary arteries, but also to visualize the vessel wall. Thus, early manifestations of coronary artery disease may be detectable for the identification of patients with preclinical disease as candidates for aggressive risk modification. In this review the current status as well as future perspectives of MRI are discussed.