Magnetic resonance imaging of the coronary arteries: anatomy of the coronary arteries and veins in three-dimensional imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging of coronary arteries will visualize, besides the arteries, the myocardium, blood in the cavities and cardiac veins. This wi ll hamper the application of projectional visualization techniques such as those used in conventional coronary angiography. Volume rendering, a differ ent visualization technique, can be used to create a three-dimensional impr ession of a magnetic resonance data set on a two-dimensional surface. In th is article, we will review the volume-rendering technique and anatomy of th e coronary arteries and veins in the obtained images. Also we will discuss the relation between arteries and veins and the possible sites of confusion . Coronary Artery Dis 10:261-267 (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.