State-of-the-art scans to detect and monitor heart disease

Funds towards a research cardiovascular magnetic resonance scanner

New state-of-the-art scans are now able to provide intricate detail about heart structure and function and, increasingly, are being used to pick up early signs of heart disease, or to monitor disease progression. One of the most promising scanning technologies is cardiac magnetic resonance, and in recent years the University of Manchester have developed several new applications of this technology. This includes using it to measure scar tissue, inflammation, or blood flow in the heart. However, most of this work was carried out using technology that is required for clinical use in the treatment of many different diseases. The BHF has recently contributed to a new magnetic resonance scanner to support heart and circulatory disease research at the University of Manchester. The increased capacity means that all patients who have a heart scan for diagnosis or treatment purposes can now be invited to have an additional 5-10 minutes of scanning for research purposes. This will allow more rapid evaluation of potential biomarkers of disease, so that scientists can quickly move forwards with those that look promising, and discontinue research on those that don’t. It will also provide large amounts of valuable data that could be used to build computer tools that predict patient prognosis and response to treatment.