Chest MRI

Chest MRI at Sky Ridge Medical Center

MRI of the chest gives detailed pictures of structures within the chest cavity, including the heart and vessels, from almost any angle. MRI also provides movie-like sequential imaging of the cardiovascular system that is important to assess the health and function of these structures (heart, valves, great vessels, etc.).

Common Uses of Cardiac MRI

MR imaging of the chest is performed to:

• Assess abnormal growths, including cancer of the lungs or other tissues, which either cannot be assessed adequately with other imaging modalities (typically CT) or which are particularly well-suited to MR imaging.
• Determine tumor size, extent, and the degree to which the cancer has spread to adjacent structures.
• Assess the anatomy and functionality of the heart and its component structures (valves, etc.)
• Determine blood flow dynamics in the vessels and heart chambers.
• Display lymph nodes and blood vessels, including vascular and lymphatic malformations of the chest.
• Assess disorders of the chest bones (vertebrae, ribs and sternum) and chest wall soft tissue (muscles and fat).

A special form of MRI called magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is helpful to assess the vessels of the chest cavity (arteries and veins). MRA can also demonstrate an abnormal ballooning out of the wall of an artery (aneurysm) or a torn inner lining of an artery (dissection).