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SCMR: Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Heart Allows Heart Attack Prognosis


    Doctors have always struggled with the question of whether their
    patients will suffer a heart attack in the near future. Magnetic
    resonance imaging of the heart may provide just the answer.

    Heart attack is the most frequent cause of death in the western
    world. Doctors are using tables and imaging methods to predict the
    risk of an attack. Magnetic resonance imaging is a recently developed
    method of acquiring images of the heart. It provides high resolution
    images with plenty of information, without any harmful radiation. This
    method - which has been used in children's heart disease for many
    years - is able to improve prediction of a hazardous event in a large
    group of patients. During the yearly meeting of the International
    Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and the imaging
    specialists of the European Society of Cardiology in Rome from
    February 2nd to 4th two milestone papers will be presented.
    Researchers working with Dr. Greg Hundley from the Wake Forrest
    University School of Medicine found, that a stress test with magnetic
    resonance imaging identifies individuals with a high risk of a
    myocardial infarction or death within the group of patients with chest
    pain symptoms. In a different study by the group of Dr Raymond Kwong
    at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA researchers used
    magnetic resonance imaging to find a subgroup of patients with
    diabetes most likely to suffer a hazardous event.

    Magnetic resonance imaging of the heart is a risk free method to
    identify patients at risk of heart attack or death.

    The Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (www.scmr.org) is
    the International Society for cardiologists, radiologists, technicians
    and scientists aiming at the development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
    of the heart. The Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
    of the European Society of Cardiology
    (www.escardio.org/bodies/WG/wg26/) is the subgroup of Magnetic
    Resonance Imaging specialists within the European Society of
    Cardiology.