Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging Gives New Insight Into Heart Disease

Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging allows improving our
understanding of disease processes. It helps to start and optimize
therapy.

Despite all technical advances, today's medicine is struggling to
optimize treatment due to a lack of understanding of the underlying
cause of the disease. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance is a powerful,
risk-free technique to measure different components in the heart
muscle. During the yearly meeting of the Society of Cardiovascular
Magnetic Resonance and the respective working group of the European
Society of Cardiology in Rome from February 2nd to 4th three milestone
papers will be presented.

The researchers from Dr. Wickline, Washington University, St.
Louis, MO have developed a new contrast agent which specifically binds
to inflamed areas in the vessel wall. Such areas have been shown to be
very likely to develop abnormalities and may be the major reason for
sudden cardiac death. In the current report, Dr. Wickline presents his
findings in rabbits which are about to develop aortic valve disease.
The specific contrast agent allows for a detection and quantification
of new microvessels in the valve and, thus, allow for an early
detection and understanding of the disease process. This might allow
to start with aggressive therapy even before irreversible damage
occurs.

Researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY,
led by Dr. Fuster, show, that an early application of beta-blockers in
acute heart attack reduces the size or irreversible damage. It has
been known - and recommended by the relevant guidelines - that an
early administration of beta-blockers improves patient survival and
reduces alterations of the form and size of the heart after a heart
attack. This study now helps to understand the underlying reason for
this beneficial effect and may allow to even better guide therapy in
the future.

Dr Arai from the national Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD,
reports on findings from his group in patients with Friedreich's
ataxia, the most common cause of muscle failure, which starts in
childhood. More than 90% of these patients die due to heart failure.
Until now it has not been understood, if the cause of heart failure
was the increasing thickening of the heart or if the thickening was
due to other disease processes. Dr. Arai could now show, that fibrosis
is the first step in the disease process and may be used as an early
indicator.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the heart is a risk free method to
understand disease processes, guide therapy, and optimize individual
patient handling.

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.