Preface

I am delighted to serve as the Guest Editor for this issue of Cardiology Clinics. This is a timely issue, because cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) recently has made great strides into the clinical arena. Although the modality long has been recognized as a reference standard for cardiac volumes and morphology, only 5 to 6 years ago, CMR was primarily a research tool. It was known as a hot, cutting-edge modality, but, truth be told, scans for clinical purposes were rare and primarily for boutique disorders such as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and cardiac neoplasms. In contrast, CMR is considered now a competitive first-line test for bread-and-butter indications such as the evaluation of ischemic heart disease and heart failure.

The reasons for this shift are myriad, and include the rapid development of stress perfusion CMR and the burgeoning applications for delayed-enhancement imaging. In accord with its growing clinical importance, the articles in this issue—all by international experts with vast expertise in clinical CMR—focus less on topics that have only research value and more on issues directly relevant to patient care.

The contributors have performed admirably in providing a succinct yet thorough review of the topics. I hope that readers will find this issue to be of practical value, and worthy of adding to their collection of well-thumbed clinical resources. Enjoy.