Better ways to scan and monitor people with atrial fibrillation

Combined compressed sensing and super-resolution for 3D late enhancement imaging improves scar segmentation and quantification in atrial fibrillation

Dr Jennifer Keegan and her team at Imperial College London are developing new ways to monitor heart tissue in atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm disease, using specialised scanning techniques. Currently, doctors use a technique called ‘electro-anatomical mapping’ to assess AF, but this requires an invasive procedure. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising, simpler and safer technique for taking detailed images, and can show the amount and distribution of scar tissue in the heart, which can guide AF treatment and determine how well it is working. But these scans are slow and can be of poor quality. In this project, Dr Keegan will work to reduce the time required to produce detailed MR images of the whole heart to just three minutes, using a new way of analysing images called “compressed sensing”. She will also improve the quality of images using another new technique. These techniques together will improve the accuracy and speed of the MR scans. Dr Keegan will compare her results to the images which are taken using the current invasive technique during AF treatment, to see if her approach is as effective. This research aims to develop faster and better imaging of scar tissue which will enable doctors to reconstruct whole heart images from just three minutes’ scanning time. This will enable doctors to better assess and treat people with AF. It could reveal ways to monitor and image other heart diseases.