Interventional cardiovascular MR—The next stage in pediatric cardiology

Abstract

Real-time magnetic resonance imaging is attractive to guide minimally invasive treatment of structural heart disease not only because it can spare radiation but also because soft tissue imaging may add value. Interventional cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging will allow simple as well as novel non-surgical treatments of structural heart disease in children. Real-time MRI tools already are available. Catheter tools are emerging. A handful of pediatrics hospitals are installing investigational systems now to explore this promising technology.

Abbreviations: CT, Computed tomography, MR, Magnetic resonance, MRI, Magnetic resonance imaging, SSFP, Steady state free precession pulse sequence, XFM, X-Ray fused with magnetic resonance imaging

Keywords: Cardiovascular MR, X-Ray angiography, Interventional MR, Congenital heart disease

a Translational Medicine Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

b The Cardiology Division, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA

Corresponding author. Translational Medicine Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 2c713, MSC1538, Bethesda, MD 20892-1538, USA.

PII: S1058-9813(09)00040-X

doi:10.1016/j.ppedcard.2009.10.008

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