Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is a well-established noninvasive 
imaging modality in clinical cardiology. Its unsurpassed accuracy in defining 
cardiac morphology and function and its ability to provide tissue 
characterization make it well suited for the study of patients with cardiac 
diseases. Late gadolinium enhancement was a major advancement in the development 
of tissue characterization techniques, allowing the unique ability of CMR to 
differentiate ischemic heart disease from nonischemic cardiomyopathies. Using 
T2-weighted techniques, areas of edema and inflammation can be identified in the 
myocardium. A new generation of myocardial mapping techniques are emerging, 
enabling direct quantitative assessment of myocardial tissue properties in 
absolute terms. This review will summarize recent developments involving 
T1-mapping and T2-mapping techniques and focus on the clinical applications and 
future potential of these evolving CMR methodologies.