Cardiac MRI

Since the introduction of cardiac catheterization in the 1940s, development and implementation of cardiovascular imaging techniques have been a collaborative effort among several specialties, particularly radiology and cardiology. Many pioneers in CV imaging have held joint appointments.

Few MR applications have held greater promise and encountered bigger challenges than cardiac imaging. MR accurately depicts cardiac structure, function, perfusion, and myocardial viability with a capacity unmatched by any other imaging modality.

Due in part to a robust second half, the CT market in the U.S. enjoyed extraordinary sales growth in 2004. Record sales were noted in the third and fourth quarters, according to industry estimates.

Subtracted views of coronary vessels, reconstructed from CT data of the heart, may provide the means for screening patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

Radiologists interpreting scans of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism should check for signs of right heart dysfunction. This action could save a patient’s life, according to a study presented at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting in May.

PET evaluation of myocardial blood flow adds ammunition to fears that increased obesity rates in the U.S. may lead to an epidemic of cardiovascular disease.

Despite impressive strides, multidetector CT scanner technology could still use some tweaking to maximize its utility, according to a speaker at the seventh annual Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT in San Francisco.

Nearly half of all patients whose hearts are scanned with CT may get a shocking surprise: a diagnosis of a serious problem that has nothing to do with the heart, according to a study presented today at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting.

The 2005 Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance meeting reflected the opportunities and challenges unique to this diagnostic imaging discipline. Cardiac MR's growing professional acceptance helped spur a third consecutive attendance record this year, and the number of scientific papers and posters submitted for presentation rose as well.

The 2005 Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance meeting reflected the opportunities and challenges unique to this diagnostic imaging discipline. Cardiac MR's growing professional acceptance helped spur a third consecutive attendance record this year, and the number of scientific papers and posters submitted for presentation rose as well.

For the first time, researchers have used high-resolution microCT to identify microcalcific components of coronary artery vulnerable plaques. Although the technique could help stratify high-risk patients, clinical utility will have to wait until further advances are made in conventional CT image resolution.

A contaminated radioisotope used in cardiac stress tests has been blamed for more than a dozen cases of hepatitis C contracted by patients in Maryland, according to a report released Monday by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Polar maps of the coronary arteries that provide information regarding morphology and patency in a single image could potentially speed up diagnosis. But the technology still has some bugs in it, according to research presented at the European Congress of Radiology.

Radiation exposure has been a dicey issue for researchers developing multislice CT coronary artery imaging. According to critics, MSCT exposes patients to twice as much ionizing radiation as conventional cardiac catheterization.

Being a specialist in cardiovascular imaging, I have followed the development of cardiac topics at the ECR since 1991. Tremendous changes have occurred over this period.

CT is moving beyond detection and quantification of coronary artery calcium to grading of coronary stenoses, identifying not only vulnerable plaques but, more important, vulnerable patients. Yet its ultimate role in predicting risk of cardiac events remains unclear.

As a one-stop scanning tool for everything from abdominal trauma to chest pain, CT is fast becoming an emergency room's best friend. Medical centers save trauma treatment costs by taking less staff to support a patient until a diagnosis is made, and they improve emergency care by cutting the time patients spend being imaged before being stabilized and acutely managed.

Radiologists who want to start and maintain a successful cardiovascular MR practice need to complete adequate training, work collaboratively with cardiologists, and educate referring physicians about the benefits of MR over other modalities.

Strategy and tactics distinguish Philips in CT. Not long ago, the company was a nonplayer in this modality, reliant on suppliers to obtain scanners to sell under the Philips label. That changed in 2002 with the acquisition of Marconi Medical Systems, which transformed Philips into a CT powerhouse. At last year's RSNA meeting, the company leaped beyond the expected 32-slice configuration to offer a 40-slice array rotating at 0.42 second and covering most body organs without motion artifact.

Survey results released last week by IMV Medical Information Division suggesting a drop in demand for cardiac cath procedures might cause some to worry that cardiac assessment is on the wane and that equipment sales might soon follow. Those concerns fade, however, when the statistics are put into context.

Two men are lost, drifting in a hot-air balloon somewhere over a canyon. Hoping to find out where they are, one leans out and yells, “Helllloooooo! Where are we?” For the next few moments, they hear the echo fading in the distance. Then silence. Fifteen minutes pass, when an echoing voice calls back, “Helllloooooo! You’re lost!!”

The number of cath lab cases performed in 2002 remained level in the U.S. after increasing sharply over the previous four-year period, according to a market research survey. But the flat numbers might not mean a leveling off or drop in the purchase of cardiac imaging equipment.

Self-gated MR imaging may find a place in standard cardiac practice, but possibly not in the form in which it debuted at the 2003 SCMR meeting.

Cardiac MR imaging has become a mainstream clinical instrument to assess congenital heart disease. It is a cutting-edge technology that is beginning to replace fluoroscopy as the modality of choice to guide minimally invasive interventions in the heart.

Duke University researchers introduced a new MR approach at the SCMR meeting that produces cine angiograms analogous to cardiac catheterization without radiation or a contrast agent.

Philips Medical Systems will provide state-of-the-art cardiovascular imaging equipment and software, enterprise-wide PACS, and radiology equipment, as well as patient monitoring systems, services, and other products including consumer electronics,

As Medicare passes through the congressional mill, the focus often turns to radiologists and the increasing cost of medical imaging. A recent report by Blue Cross/Blue Shield stated that radiologists are driving up healthcare costs. But Philadelphia researchers on Monday concluded that it is cardiologists -- not radiologists -- who are responsible for sharp hikes in dollars spent for medical imaging.