Understanding stress CMR

MAGNETIC resonance myocardial perfusion imaging (stress CMR) is a non-invasive cardiac imaging scan to evaluate the blood flow (perfusion) to heart muscles (myocardium) using medication such as adenosine.

What is the purpose of this test?

Stress CMR is frequently used to evaluate patients who have symptoms of chest pain or breathlessness in order to assess ischemia in the heart muscle (a condition where the heart muscle is starved of oxygen and other nutrients which are required to keep tissue alive due to inadequate blood supply as a result of blocked or narrowed arteries).

In addition, it is also used to evaluate the physiologic significance of the coronary artery lesions as identified by CT coronary angiography or invasive coronary angiography in order to determine whether patients should be treated medically or require revascularization with coronary artery stenting or coronary artery bypass surger…