What are the uses of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (cMRI) in chronic heart failure?
 Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) provides accurate and reproducible assessments of the systolic function of the ventricles, and some assessment of diastolic function of the ventricles. It is capable of studying the myocardial perfusion, infiltration and cardiac involvement by oedema, inflammation and scarring. cMRI provides an accurate assessment of the iron content of the myocardium. Using special sequences, cMRI is also capable of assessing ischaemia and scarring without the use of contrast media. cMRI is also capable of assessing valve lesions and shunts as well as measuring cardiac muscle mass and chamber volume. In chronic heart failure, cMRI is currently used in some centres for the assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction, the assessment of myocardial ischaemia, and for the detection and characterisation of myocardial scarring, inflammation or infiltration.