Kardio-MRT

Cardio-MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a pain-free layered imaging of the heart. It is free of radiation (no radio activity) and reconstructs an image of the beating heart.

This is what happens in a nutshell:

  • the patient is placed in front of a magnet
  •  an electro-magnetic radio wave is emitted 
  •  radio wave is switched off again
  • patient sends a response signal which is recorded 
  • image reconstruction takes place
An MRI of the heart makes sense when a heart condition is suspected, for instance
  • constriction of coronary arteries (coronary heart condition, CHC)
  • heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis chronic or acute)
  • heart valve defect (e.g. leaky aortic valve)
  • heart tumour or blood clot
  • storage disease (iron storage disease)
  • systemic disease (sarcoidosis) etc.
Cardio MRI allows for a very precise, gentle and, above all, blood-less diagnosis, e.g. without using catheter or biopsy, which then results in a targeted therapy.
This is a procedure that is unrivalled, in other words, for many conditions there is no equivalent examination method.


Preparation:
Stress-MRI: While lying on the examination table, you are injected a medicine which leads to  increased heart beat (similar to conditions under stress, comparable to physical exercise). The medication I use is either Adenosine or Dobutamine, depending, among other things, on possible previous illnesses, e.g. Asthma. This procedure requires an empty stomach (min. 6 hours prior to examination). 

For a stress-MRI using Adenosine you are not allowed to consume coffee, tea or chocolate 24 hours prior to examination.

For a stress-MRI with Dobutamine no beta blockers must be used 48 hours prior to examination.


In case you are equipped with an MRI-compatible (MRI-conditional) cardiac pacemaker system (including probes) bad-quality images are to be expected, in this case I advise against a cardiac MRI. If you wear metal implants/prosthesis inform us prior to examination.

In any case, I will conduct a detailed consultation with you which answers all questions relating to the examination method.