Advanced Cardiac Imaging Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
microvascular obstruction MVO
No-reflow phenomenon in capillary beds following reperfusion, appearing as dark zones within areas of late gadolinium enhancement on cardiac MRI.
coronary dominance
The anatomical pattern describing which coronary artery gives rise to the posterior descending artery and posterolateral...
coronary flow reserve
The ratio of maximal coronary blood flow during hyperemia to resting coronary blood flow, indicating coronary vasodilato...
dark blood imaging
MRI technique that suppresses blood signal to enhance contrast between cardiac structures and flowing blood for morpholo...
delayed enhancement
MRI technique using gadolinium contrast to identify areas of myocardial scar or fibrosis by imaging 10-20 minutes post-i...
diastolic dysfunction
Impaired ventricular relaxation or filling, assessed through echocardiographic parameters including E/A ratio and tissue...
diastolic filling pattern
The characteristic pattern of left ventricular filling during diastole, assessed by Doppler echocardiography to evaluate...
dobutamine stress echo
Pharmacological stress test using dobutamine infusion to assess inducible wall motion abnormalities and coronary artery...
dyskinesis
Paradoxical outward motion of a myocardial segment during systole, moving opposite to normal contraction.
extracellular volume fraction
Quantitative CMR parameter measuring the proportion of extracellular space in myocardium, used to detect diffuse fibrosi...
feature tracking
Post-processing technique that analyzes myocardial deformation by tracking tissue features across cardiac phases in stan...
FFRCT
Fractional flow reserve derived from coronary computed tomography angiography, providing non-invasive assessment of coro...
first-pass perfusion
Real-time MRI technique that tracks contrast agent passage through myocardial tissue to assess blood flow.
FLAIR sequence
A magnetic resonance imaging technique that suppresses fluid signal to enhance visualization of pathological tissue chan...
fractional flow reserve
Hemodynamic measurement indicating the functional significance of coronary stenosis.
gadolinium contrast
Paramagnetic contrast agent used in cardiac MRI to enhance tissue characterization and detect scar tissue.
gated SPECT
Nuclear imaging technique that synchronizes SPECT acquisition with cardiac cycle to assess both perfusion and function.
HARP
Harmonic phase analysis technique for processing myocardial tagging images to quantify tissue deformation and strain.
hibernating myocardium
Viable but dysfunctional myocardial tissue with reduced contractility due to chronic hypoperfusion that may recover func...
hypokinesis
Reduced but present wall motion and thickening of a myocardial segment during systole.
IVUS
Intravascular ultrasound; catheter-based imaging providing cross-sectional views of coronary artery walls and lumen.
late gadolinium enhancement
MRI technique using contrast agent to identify myocardial scar tissue and fibrosis.
LCX
Epicardial coronary artery that supplies the lateral and posterior walls of the left ventricle.
LIMA graft
A bypass conduit using the left internal mammary artery, typically anastomosed to the left anterior descending coronary...
LMCA
Left main coronary artery. Short but critical vessel that supplies blood to the LAD and circumflex arteries.