Cardiac MRI
Heart muscle and perfusion – assessed without X-rays.
Some symptoms remain unexplained even though ECG, ultrasound and even cardiac CT or catheter are unremarkable. Cardiac MRI shows what these methods do not see: an inflammation of the heart muscle and perfusion disorders down to the smallest vessels – radiation-free and at rest.
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- Personal discussion of your resultsThorough and clear about next steps, directly after the examination
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Two good reasons to look closer
Cardiac MRI also shows scars in the heart muscle, for example after an unnoticed (“silent”) heart attack or myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) – such a scar can be assessed precisely. Typical symptoms of myocarditis such as chest pain, palpitations or unusual exhaustion after an infection are a common reason for the examination.
Suspected inflammation of the heart muscle
After a viral infection, with a drop in performance, palpitations or chest pressure, cardiac MRI can make a myocarditis visible or rule it out according to international criteria.¹
Symptoms despite an unremarkable finding
When cardiac CT or catheter are unremarkable but the symptoms persist, the cause often lies in the smallest vessels. Stress MRI makes such perfusion disorders visible.²
Two questions, one radiation-free examination
Cardiac MRI works with magnetic fields instead of X-rays. In one examination, both the heart muscle itself and its perfusion – at rest and under stress – can be assessed.
Making inflammation visible
Modern examination techniques capture water retention and tissue change in the heart muscle – the basis for confirming or ruling out a myocarditis.
Detecting scar and fibrosis
Through contrast enhancement, scarred or fibrotic areas become visible – for example after a previous infarction or a past inflammation.
Perfusion under stress
In stress MRI, the heart's perfusion is stressed pharmacologically and measured – without physical exertion. This makes narrowings and reduced perfusion visible.³
Even the smallest vessels
Stress MRI also captures microvascular perfusion disorders (INOCA) that cardiac catheter and cardiac CT do not show – often the decisive answer with persistent symptoms.²
If you have symptoms, there is a reason. Our task is to find it.
Three steps to certainty
Book an appointment
Conveniently online or by phone – you receive an appointment promptly through our friendly reception.
The examination
The scan is performed in a modern wide-bore MRI with a short magnet – comfortable even with claustrophobia. For stress MRI and tissue imaging, a contrast agent is given via the arm vein.
Findings & discussion
You receive a detailed report and a personal discussion of the next steps.
Personally there for you
Anastasija Todorovska
Specialised in echocardiography, ECG diagnostics and cardiological assessment – in close cooperation with radiology.
Dr. Dr. Georg-Friedemann Rust
Physicist and radiologist – combining medical and technical expertise for precise imaging and personal care.
Trust that grows from experience
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Gain clarity
Arrange your appointment – online in a few steps or by phone.
Not every heart complaint has to do with narrowed coronary arteries. At the same time, a narrowing of the coronary arteries by deposits (= CAD = coronary artery disease) often develops unnoticed over a long period: in 2026 a large imaging study already found vascular deposits in around 57 % of symptom-free adults.⁷ An inflammation of the heart muscle can occur after a simple viral infection and often goes unrecognised with ECG and ultrasound – cardiac MRI is considered the non-invasive gold standard for diagnosing inflammation of the heart muscle and confirms or rules it out according to internationally agreed criteria.¹ And a considerable proportion of people with persistent symptoms have unremarkable coronary arteries: the cause then often lies in the smallest vessels (INOCA), which catheter and cardiac CT do not show.² Especially in women, INOCA is an important issue that must always be considered – it is particularly easily missed in standard diagnostics. Stress perfusion MRI makes such perfusion disorders visible without radiation and is well established as a method for ischaemia diagnosis.³ So that no one is sent home with serious symptoms just because the standard examination was unremarkable. Whether cardiac MRI makes sense in your case is something we clarify together according to your individual situation.
- Ferreira VM, Schulz-Menger J, Holmvang G, et al. Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in Nonischemic Myocardial Inflammation: Expert Recommendations. J Am Coll Cardiol 2018;72(24):3158–3176. doi.org
- Kunadian V, Chieffo A, Camici PG, et al. An EAPCI Expert Consensus Document on Ischaemia with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries in Collaboration with European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Coronary Pathophysiology & Microcirculation Endorsed by Coronary Vasomotor Disorders International Study Group. Eur Heart J 2020;41(37):3504–3520. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Nagel E, Greenwood JP, McCann GP, et al. Magnetic Resonance Perfusion or Fractional Flow Reserve in Coronary Disease. N Engl J Med 2019;380(25):2418–2428. nejm.org
- Kim RJ, Fieno DS, Parrish TB, et al. Relationship of MRI Delayed Contrast Enhancement to Irreversible Injury, Infarct Age, and Contractile Function. Circulation 1999;100(19):1992–2002. ahajournals.org
- Grothues F, Smith GC, Moon JC, et al. Comparison of interstudy reproducibility of cardiovascular magnetic resonance with two-dimensional echocardiography in normal subjects and in patients with heart failure or left ventricular hypertrophy. Am J Cardiol 2002;90(1):29–34.
- Kramer CM, Barkhausen J, Bucciarelli-Ducci C, et al. Standardized cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) protocols: 2020 update. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2020;22(1):17. doi.org
- Bundgaard H, et al. Prevalence of Silent Atherosclerosis across Adult Life. N Engl J Med 2026; online veröffentlicht am 29.08.2026 (REACT-Studie, vorgestellt beim ESC-Kongress 2026, München). doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2609059 nejm.org