Recent Advances in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for Imaging of Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the primary causes of death worldwide, with a high incidence and mortality rate. Assessment of the infarcted and surviving myocardium, along with microvascular obstruction, is crucial for risk stratification, treatment, and prognosis in patients with AMI. Nonionizing radiation, excellent soft tissue contrast resolution, a large field of view, and multiplane imaging make cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) a "one-stop" method for assessing cardiac structure, function, perfusion, and metabolism. Hence, this imaging technology is considered the "gold standard" for evaluating myocardial function and viability in AMI. This review critically compares the advantages and disadvantages of CMR with other cardiac imaging technologies, and relates the imaging findings to the underlying pathophysiological processes in AMI. A more thorough understanding of CMR technology will clarify their advanced clinical diagnosis and prognostic assessment applications, and assess the future approaches and challenges of CMR in the setting of AMI. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging technology is considered the "gold standard" for evaluating myocardial function and viability in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Various CMR techniques can specifically display and evaluate the pathophysiological changes in each stage of AMI. This article reviews the recent advances of CMR technology in AMI and prospects its future development directions.image