日本小児循環器学会雑誌 Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) for basic cardiac function and hemodynamic evaluation is contrast-free, radiation-free, and noninvasive. Thus, imaging can be repeated over time, making it extremely suitable for use in the pediatric cardiovascular field, where ultrasonography observation becomes more difficult as the child grows. CMR is performed using a combination of various imaging and evaluation methods. This study describes cardiac function evaluation using cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), from the basic method of cine MRI to post-imaging analysis and reading, including basic and more advanced methods that are still in the research stage. Cine MRI, the most basic type of CMR, provides information on not only cardiac function by analyzing ventricular wall motion but also on various other aspects of cardiovascular function, such as anatomical morphology, including epicardial large blood vessels, and blood flow. Conversely, a disadvantage of CMR is the long imaging time. However, technological innovations are being developed to shorten the imaging time, and these are also discussed.