Real-time, non-breath hold MRI - V2.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparison of standard breath-hold cardiac MRI with a faster, free-breathing scan
IRAS ID
270285
Contact name
JR Arnold
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
In recent years, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has become the gold standard for the assessment of the volumes and pumping function of the heart. The current method of choice is called cine imaging with steady-state free precession (SSFP). This method provides excellent image quality and enables accurate diagnosis of disease. A complete assessment involves a series of 10 - 15 images, each of which requires patients to hold their breath for 5-10 seconds. The complete set of images takes about 8-10 minutes.
This method can be difficult for patients who may struggle to hold their breath. Hence, it is highly desirable for the images to be acquired without patients having to hold their breath, and also to speed up the process.
For this purpose, we have developed a new method – which allows the same information to be acquired within 2 minutes and without patients having to hold their breath. It has been shown to be as accurate as the standard sequence in healthy volunteers.
In this study, we will test the accuracy of the new scan in 220 patients with known or suspected cardiac disease who have been referred for routine clinical NHS MRI scan. In addition to their standard MRI scan (which comprises 30-40 images), we will acquire one further image with the new scan (taking 2 minutes, without the subject having to hold their breath). We will compare its accuracy with the standard scan: if it is shown to be equivalent, it will benefit patients and the NHS by making the overall test shorter and more comfortable.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/SC/0286
Date of REC Opinion
3 Aug 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion