New MRI tech can detect heart failure in 8 minutes
Researchers at the University of East Anglia have developed technology to diagnose patients with heart failure in record time.
The technology uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to create detailed 4D flow images of the heart.
Unlike a standard MRI scan, which can take up to 20 minutes or more, the new 4D heart MRI scan takes just eight minutes.
The results provide a precise image of the heart valves and blood flow inside the heart, helping doctors determine the best course of treatment for patients.
Cardiology patients at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) were the first to trial the new technology. The team hope their work could revolutionise the speed at which heart failure is diagnosed, benefitting hospitals and patients worldwide.
Lead researcher Dr Pankaj Garg, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and an Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at NNUH, said: “Heart failure is a dreadful condition resulting from rising pressures inside the heart. The best method to diagnose heart failure is by invasive assessment, which is not preferred as it has risks.
“An ultrasound scan of the heart called echocardiography is routinely used to measure the peak velocity of blood flow through the mitral valve of the heart. However, this method can be unreliable.
“In 4D flow MRI, we can look at the flow in three directions over time — the fourth dimension.”
The team tested the new technology with 50 patients at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and at the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Sheffield.
Patients with suspected heart failure were assessed using the new Kat-ARC 4D heart flow MRI.
This project was funded by the Wellcome Trust. It was led by researchers at UEA in collaboration with NNUH, the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Dundee, GE Healthcare (Germany), Pie Medical Imaging (the Netherlands), and the National Heart Centre and Duke-NUS Medical School (both Singapore).
The research is published in European Radiology Experimental.
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