The cardiac MRI evaluation of valvular disease is aided by the ability to calculate (typically on short-axis cine images) ejection fraction, end systolic volume, and cardiac output—values typically and less precisely obtained by echocardiogram. Manual (or automatic) outlining of the ventricular endocardial border in a slice allows calculation of intraventricular area. Multiplying this by slice thickness and adding this value for all relevant slices yields the intraventricular volume. The difference in volume between systolic and diastolic cine images represents stroke volume from which ejection fraction and cardiac output may be calculated. Regurgitant flow or valve pressure gradients may be obtained with velocity-encoded MRI. In this sequence, a gradient is applied in the expected direction of blood flow and phase (as well as magnitude) information acquired. Velocity of protons within a given voxel is obtainable based on proportionality between velocity and degree of phase change. Flow volume may be calculated by multiplying velocity by the cross-sectional area (acquired from magnitude information). Integration of flow volume over the cardiac cycle yields the total ejection volume. Comparing the ratio of retrograde to anterograde flow over the cardiac cycle yields a regurgitant fraction; pressure gradients may be estimated from peak flow rates across a valve.