In addition to cardiac ultrasound, imaging using computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly being used to visualize the individual structures of the heart. The advantage of this "cross-sectional imaging technique" is that it is not an invasive examination, such as cardiac catheterization. CT does not work without X-rays and is therefore not used as often. MRI works using magnetic fields and does not involve radiation. Increasingly, we are also using MRI to obtain information on blood flow in the heart. Many cardiac catheter examinations can already be avoided using this technology. But be careful: patients with pacemakers and ICDs are not allowed to have an MRI.
