Most magnetic resonance imaging has used body orthogonal axes with the Z axis placed along the length of the body and the X and Y axes at right angles to the body. This orientation is not optimum for the heart; visualization of sections along the short and long cardiac axes would best define cardiac structural detail and functional status. The new orientation was accomplished by selection of electronic angulation of the magnetic fields for each subject rather than by attempting to approximate the cardiac axes by altering the position of the patient. This technique improved visualization of comparative wall segments, valvular structures, and the true four-chamber view of the heart, and also gave the best visualization of the pericardium. In addition, more accurate estimates of chamber size and myocardial mass can be made from the short-axis orientation, since the sections are orthogonal to the myocardium.