AbstractCoronary artery disease (CAD) is currently the leading cause of death in developed nations. Reflecting the complexity of cardiac function and morphology, noninvasive diagnosis of CAD represents a major challenge for medical imaging. Although coronary artery stenoses can be depicted with magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) techniques, its functional or hemodynamic impact frequently remains elusive. Therefore, there is growing interest in other, target organ‐specific parameters such as myocardial function at stress and first‐pass myocardial perfusion imaging to assess myocardial blood flow. This review explores the pathophysiologic background, recent technical developments, and current clinical status of first‐pass MR imaging (MRI) of myocardial perfusion. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2004;19:750–757. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.