Using high-tech scanners to identify patients at greatest risk of heart attack

Combined positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of coronary atherothrombosis (Dr Mhairi Doris)

Heart attacks are caused when a diseased area (plaque) in a coronary artery breaks apart and a blood clot forms. However, not all plaques in an artery are vulnerable to breaking, and not all blood clots will cause a heart attack. Unfortunately, we’re not yet good at identifying those people with artery disease who are most at risk of having a heart attack. Dr Mark Dweck hope to use new technology to change that. He will use the most advanced medical technologies and the latest high-tech scanner to watch plaques develop and blood clots form and dissolve in the coronary artery. By combining two different types of imaging technique (magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, and positron emission tomography, or PET), Dr Dweck’s team will be able to see both plaques and clots at the same time. This technology doesn’t just give a moving picture of the arteries, but can also be used to reveal the location of particular molecules of interest, which could flag up unstable plaques and dangerous blood clots. If successful, this new approach may allow doctors to see if a patient is likely to have a heart attack. It could identify patients that need stronger treatments, and could be used to monitor the effects of new treatments to see if they help prevent or treat artery disease.