MRI is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the internal structures of the human body in detail. Unlike X-rays or CT scans, which use X-rays, MRI relies on the properties of magnetic fields and radio waves.

 

During an MRI, the patient is placed inside a large circular magnet, and radio waves are directed at the body, causing the hydrogen atoms in the tissues to align. Then, radiofrequency pulses are applied, disrupting this alignment. When the atoms return to their initial state of alignment, they emit signals detected by special antennas, making it possible to reconstruct two- or three-dimensional images of anatomical structures.

 

Cardiac MRI makes it possible to evaluate, in addition to cardiac ultrasound, the structure of the heart, its dimensions (dilation, thickness), the analysis of intravalvular flows (quantification of valve leaks), the presence of acute inflammation of the heart muscle or the demonstration of an old scar on the myocardium (the heart muscle).

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Cardiac MRI with measurement of the thickness of the interventricular septum (SIV):