Noninvasive imaging of myocardial viability: current techniques and future developments.

Complete knowledge of myocardial structure, metabolism, and function is crucial to understanding the response of the heart to injury such as ischemia. Increasingly, this type of knowledge is required at multiple levels, from that of the isolated myocyte to the functioning organism, to provide basic scientists and clinical investigators a common framework for translation of findings and information feedback. This article focuses on the utilization of imaging methods to assess myocardial viability in vivo. It discusses the advantages and pitfalls of different imaging techniques, with particular emphasis on available data in humans and large animal models. Because of their novelty and potential for accurate phenotyping of human pathophysiology, magnetic resonance modalities will be highlighted.