2011 Volume 75 Issue 3 Pages 724-731
The increasing variety of available cardiac imaging techniques have made the investigation of coronary artery disease more complex. On the one hand, nuclear cardiology or myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) allows accurate and reliable quantitative measurement of myocardial blood flow. On the other hand, a newer technique, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is an attractive alternative for achieving similar purposes without exposing patients to radiation hazards. With a higher spatial resolution, CMR is more sensitive for detecting subendocardial ischemia; small myocardial infarction and/or fibrosis, which cannot be achieved in a nuclear study. Nuclear MPI has dominated clinical practice over the past 3 decades on the basis of an extensive amount of research. More upcoming research on CMR would warrant more evidence-based data of its value for disease diagnosis, prognosis and risk stratification and incorporating it into the clinical diagnostic and management algorithm. (Circ J 2011; 75: 724-731)
