Developing a scanning technique to detect damage after a heart attack

Assessment of myocardial viability with magnetic resonance imaging techniques

Identifying the extent and type of damage to heart tissue after a heart attack is important to help cardiologists decide the best treatment. Rapid and appropriate treatment of heart-attack patients is vital in trying to ensure a successful recovery. BHF has funded a team from the University of Edinburgh to investigate a new way to characterise the extent of damage to the heart muscle after a heart attack. Their non-invasive technique is based on measuring sodium levels in the heart, which increase after a heart attack. The researchers will use a special scanning technique called MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) in animals to test whether areas where sodium distribution is increased can characterise areas of the heart that are damaged after a heart attack, and whether this test can pick up the extent of damage. This method holds promise because it is potentially more sensitive in detecting damaged areas than conventional diagnostic measures such as another scanning technique called PET. Preliminary results in rats will provide important information for understanding the potential of this MRI technique in heart patients.