ABSTRACT
Evaluation of the cardiovascular system with
magnetic resonance (CMR) has become one of the most
relevant and up-to-the-minute clinical applications of
this diagnostic technique, as CMR makes possible an
exact and reproducible study of the anatomy and
function of the heart and great vessels. The complexity
of this technique is mainly due to the anatomical
location and orientation of the cardiovascular
structures, the specific CMR sequences that have to be
used and a lack of familiarity amongst radiologists
regarding cardiovascular pathology. In this report the
most basic principles of CMR are described. The clinical
usefulness of anatomical, functional, and flow
quantification sequences are discussed, conventional
CMR acquisition planes are described, and an easy CMR
study protocol is proposed
