With recent advances in technology, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is being increasingly applied in detecting cardiac complications. Though MRI had revolutionized imaging, especially of brain and spine over the last two decades, its application to the heart so far was limited because of the motion of the heart and the lungs.

At a two-day workshop conducted by CARE Hospital in Hyderabad, it was emphasised that cardiac MRI had the capability of providing accurate information on the heart structure, blood flow across the valves and chambers and coronary blood flow.

Briefing newsmen about the new MRI device and details of the workshop, Dr N Krishna Reddy, cardiologist, Dr L T Kishore, radiologist, of CARE Hospital, and Dr J Barkhausen, cardiologist from the University of Essen, Germany, said the cardiac MRI was a non-invasive device and could scan very fast to get correct image of the heart. They said it was highly useful in patients where Echocardiography was inadequate as in the case of obese and elderly patients. It had become a gold standard in estimating volumes and functions of heart chambers and in differentiating dead tissues and living heart muscle.

Dr Barkhausen said cardiac MRI was evolving in imaging coronary arteries without cardiac angiography. Technical advances might make it feasible in future to get accurate information, Coronary MRI could reasonably assess blocks in major segments of the coronary arteries, he said.

Only four centres in the country, including CARE, had installed the equipment, manufactured by Siemens. After acquiring the state-of-the-art equipment in January this year, the hospital had performed more than 300 studies which were found to be very exciting and useful.

Asked whether MRI would replace coronary angiograms, Dr Barkhausen said not immediately. Now with MRI, diagnostic angiography was not needed. With further advancements and availability of the device, MRI could replace angiography in three to five years, he said. It had the potential to replace PET Scan as it had no radiation hazard. MRI was cheaper than PET Scan and could determine the blocks more accurately whether they were soft or hard, he said

CARE Hospitals, in collaboration with Siemens, is conducting a dedicated course in Cardiac MRI to radiologists and cardiologists from various parts of the country. Dr Barkhausen of University of Essen, and Carmel Hayes, Siemens Medical Solutions, Germany, are the international faculty for the course.