A new artificial intelligence technology for cardiac imaging can potentially improve patient care , allowing physicians to examine their hearts for scar tissue while eliminating the need for the contrast injections required for imaging. traditional cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR).
The new approach works by using artificial intelligence to enhance "T1 maps" of heart tissue created by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These maps are combined with MRI-enhanced "cinemas," which are like movies of moving tissue – in this case, the beating heart .
Virtual Native Enhancement
The team compared their AI approach, known as Virtual Native Enhancement (VNE), to contrast-enhanced CMR scans now used to monitor hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most common genetic heart condition.
The researchers found that VNE produced higher quality images and better capture of scar evidence in the heart, all without the need to inject the standard contrast agent required for CMR.
The new VNE technology will allow doctors to image the heart more frequently and quickly, the researchers say. It can also help doctors detect subtle changes in the heart earlier, although more tests are needed to confirm this .
The technology would also benefit patients allergic to the contrast agent injected for CMR, as well as patients with severe kidney failure, a group that avoids use of the agent.