New scan to predict heart failure risk after a heart attack

Investigation of post-myocardial infarction left ventricular remodelling by diffusion tensor cardiac magnetic resonance (Dr Ramyah Rajakulasingam)

The damage that occurs during a heart attack puts people at risk of heart failure in later life. It’s therefore essential to get an accurate picture of the damage to the heart muscle that has happened during the heart attack. Diffusion tensor cardiovascular magnetic resonance (DTC-MR) imaging is a new scanning technique that allows doctors to look at the heart in intricate detail and as a moving 3D image. It is the only method that can look at microstructures in the left ventricle of the heart noninvasively and in real time.. In this project, the new scan will be used to assess people three to five days after their heart attack, and four months later, when even greater changes may have occurred in the heart. The short-term changes in heart structure can be compared with those after four months. They are particularly interested in the orientation and movement of layers and spirals of cells within the heart, called sheetlets. From this research, they hope to identify the early signs of heart muscle strain and injury following a heart attack that are most often associated with progression to heart failure. By finding this out earlier, there may be opportunities to improve people’s treatment and reduce their risk of adverse events in the future.