Magnetic resonance imaging has an increasing role in the assessment of ischaemic heart disease. Its superb spatial and temporal resolution currently allows accurate assessment of cardiac function, regional wall motion, and the extent of myocardial infarction. Regional myocardial perfusion can also be assessed, most commonly by a first-pass technique. Non-invasive imaging of the coronary arteries by various magnetic resonance imaging techniques represents a major advance in recent years. In the foreseeable future, magnetic resonance imaging may become a single, comprehensive examination for the assessment of ischaemic heart disease.