What is a Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Study and How long does it last?
Cardiac MRI is a diagnostic tool which allows to assess and evaluate the heart. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance uses a powerful magnet and radio waves to form pictures of your heart. It does not have any known harmful effects and it does not emit radiation. The average time of scanning with this exam is around 45 a 60 minutes.
What is the difference between the standard protocol and this rapid CMR study?
We want to develop a new ultrafast technique of heart scanning (magnetic resonance scan) which will last 20 minutes and it will save time and costs compared with the standard study (which currently last more than 45 minutes) and it will enable us to measure abnormalities in the heart muscle easier and faster whilst facilitating a greater patient access to CMR in developing countries.
What are the contraindications of a routine magnetic resonance exam?
In certain group pf patients, CMR is is not suggested and/or is contraindicated. If you, as a patient, have any of the following conditions, please get in contact with your GP or local doctor: pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, pregnancy, breast feeding, severe renal and hepatic impairment, claustrophobia, morbid obesity and previous allergic reaction to contrast (called gadolinium).
Why is Cardiac Magnetic Resonance important in developing countries?
Non-communicable diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease are the leading cause of death in developed countries. Cardiovascular disease however is increasing in developing countries with more deaths than developed countries despite an apparent lower burden of conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Part of the reason is suboptimal therapies from healthcare – from primary prevention to more advanced tertiary care. Not only may advanced therapies be scarce, advanced diagnostic tests to apply them may not be available so diagnoses may be inaccurate and treatments poorly targeted. Within the portfolio and hierarchy of cardiovascular diagnostic testing, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is now essential for many scenarios, but can be expensive with poor training and there is often low availability in developing countries.