Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Myocardial Function Following Intracoronary and Intramyocardial Stem Cell Injection

Stem cell-based therapy is a new therapeutic option that can be used in patients with cardiac diseases caused by myocardial injury. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new noninvasive imaging method with an increasingly widespread indication. The aim of this review was to evaluate the role of cardiac MRI in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing stem cell therapy. We studied the role of MRI in the assessment of myocardial viability, stem cell tracking, assessment of cell survival rate, and monitoring of the long-term effects of stem cell therapy. Based on the current knowledge in this field, this noninvasive, in vivo cardiac imaging technique has a large indication in this group of patients and plays an important role in all stages of stem cell therapy, from the indication to the long-term follow-up of patients.