Magnetic resonance is a safe, non-invasive technique which can be used to produce high resolution, thin tomographic slices in any chosen plane, or true three-dimensional blocks of information. It has become the method of choice for studying the central nervous system, the vertebral column and many joints, but has not yet gained general acceptance in researching the cardiovascular system, although there are techniques for overcoming the problems of cardiac movement to produce excellent cardiovascular images. The purpose of this book is to provide the student and radiologist with a reference which can be used to identify the major structures in the body, bearing in mind that in each region a more detailed high-resolution study can usually be obtained by specialised units. The illustrations, each of which is accompanied by an explanatory line drawing, are soft tissue images based on the water content rather than the familiar X-ray shadowgram of mainly hard tissues.

This heavily updated textbook focuses on the use of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in pediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disease. Over past two decades, CMR has come to occupy an ever more important place in the assessment and management of patients with congenital heart defects (CHD) and other cardiovascular disorders. The modality offers an ever-expanding amount of information about the heart and circulation, provides outstanding images of cardiovascular morphology and function, is increasingly being used to detect pathologic fibrosis, and has an expanding role in the assessment of myocardial viability. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Congenital Heart Disease is an excellent foundation for any reader not familiar with the field whether they are imagers or clinicians who deal with cardiovascular disease. It also describes the technical details of MRI techniques to help the clinician understand the most important elements of CMR in assessing and managing their patients. In creating the book, the editors have assembled a world-renowned panel of contributors to review the use of CMR in CHD and make it accessible to those working in the field and to those who use the information derived from CMR in their clinical practice.