Overview of Cardiac MRI

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (Cardiac MRI) is an MRI for your heart. It uses powerful magnets to create pictures of the heart and coronary arteries. During this test, you're placed in a chamber surrounded by a magnetic field. In response to the magnetic force, the atoms that make up your body's tissues produce weak signals. With the help of a computer, these signals are magnified and recorded. They can then be used to create cross-section views ("slices") of your heart as well as three-dimensional images. These can be still or motion pictures.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging can reveal the structure and size of the heart chambers, wall, and valves. It can also be used to show blood flow to and through the heart, and measure your ejection fraction. These images can help healthcare providers determine the extent of heart muscle damage (as from a heart attack), assess blood flow problems, and detect and evaluate leaking in the heart's chambers and valves.

In a cardiac MRI test, you'll lie on a special exam table surrounded by a large magnet. The test is painless and safe.

Patient Instructions

Learn what happens (and what you need to do) before, during, and after this procedure:

Where Do I Go?

Cardiac MRI is performed on both an inpatient and outpatient basis at Intermountain Medical Center. Outpatient MRIs are performed in the Outpatient Radiology Department, Building 2 (Eccles Outpatient Center), Level 2.
