Applications of Cardiac MR Imaging in Electrophysiology: Current Status and Future Needs

The potential role of cardiac MR imaging in the diagnosis, risk-stratification, and treatment of patients with cardiac arrhythmias is rapidly evolving. Beyond substrate identification and characterization, it is now feasible to perform MR imaging–based noninvasive virtual programmed stimulation to identify potential ablation targets. The next phase of MR imaging–guided electrophysiology may involve intraprocedural guidance of electrophysiologic interventions using real-time MR imaging. This review discusses the spectrum of MR imaging applications in electrophysiology ranging from those that are established in clinical practice to those that are in the experimental phase of development.