Cardiovascular Magnetic resonance

Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is a clinically proven, safe and comprehensive tool that provides anatomic and functional information. Though nuclear imaging and echocardiography have been the mainstay of cardiac imaging, CMR offers the ability to image the heart in any plane, with the highest resolution and no radiation. Cine-MR provides morphologic and functional imaging, while contrast-enhanced CMR provides the most accurate and reliable method of assessing cardiac viability. Under the leadership of AAR radiologist Sandeep Bagla, MD, Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance is now being offered at Inova Alexandria Hospital.

Common indications for Cardiovascular MR include:

• Assessment of myocardial viability
• Evaluation of acute vs. chronic myocardial infarction
• Prediction of cardiac functional outcome after coronary intervention
• Assessment of left and right ventricular volumes, mass, and systolic function
• Myocardial perfusion
• Assessment of nonischemic cardiomyopathies
• Dilated cardiomyopathy
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Myocarditis, sarcoidosis
• Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
• Evaluation and follow-up of valvular disease
• Evaluation of congenital heart disease
• Evaluation of pericardial disease
• Evaluation of cardiac masses
• Evaluation of aortic disease