ABSTRACT
Since its inception, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has held the promise that the coronary arteries could be noninvasively imaged. Very early in the history of CMR, clinical images were produced with sufficient resolution and contrast to visualize vessels with the dimensions of the coronary arteries. However, it is universally acknowledged that heart motion, due to the cardiac cycle and to respiration has hindered attempts to image the coronary arteries. Thus, early on, motion compensation strategies were devised to accommodate both sources of motion. Cardiac synchronization of the acquisition can routinely achieve adequate compensation for cardiac motion, which can be sustained over multiple cycles. Further, accommodation of respiratory motion has fallen into two distinct approaches: (i) breath-holding and (ii) respiratory compensation. There are several features that are common to all approaches, and these will be addressed first.
