Cardiac perfusion MRI

Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death and costs in the Western world. A large study has demonstrated that up to 60% of patients with chest pain and suspected CAD, who undergo expensive invasive catheterisation, might not need the procedure. Therefore, there is a strong need for a reliable diagnostic test to triage patients at intermediate risk of CAD for the appropriate treatment. Over the last decades, several clinical landmark studies have shown that accurate assessment of tissue's blood supply (perfusion) could serve as a gatekeeper for treating the right patients. Perfusion is essential for the integrity of the heart and is an early marker of the so-called ischaemic cascade that leads to non-reversible tissue damage and thus chronic heart disease.