A unique technique has been developed that can diagnose patients with heart failure in half the time than usual, which could also help provide patients with more effective treatment. The innovative technology has been developed by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK, according to news agency PTI.
The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to develop detailed four-dimensional (4D) images of the heart’s blood flow using an ultra-fast method called “Kat-ARC,” which, unlike conventional MRI, takes only eight minutes . This takes up to 20 minutes or more.
These 4D blood flow images provide precise images of the heart valves and blood flow within the heart, which will help doctors determine the best treatment for the patient.
According to PTI, lead researcher Pankaj Garg from UEA said that heart failure is a dreaded disease caused by increased pressure inside the heart.
“The whole team has been working on a state-of-the-art method for assessing blood flow in the heart called 4D flow MRI. In this case, we can look at blood flow in three directions — the fourth dimension,” Pankaj Garg said. .
The best way to diagnose heart failure is an invasive assessment, but it’s not popular because of the risks, according to research published in the European Journal of Experiments in Radiology.
The peak velocity of blood flow through the heart’s mitral valve is often measured using an ultrasound scan of the heart called an echocardiogram, but this method can be unreliable, the scientists said.
Hosamadin Assadi, PhD student at UEA, said: “This new technology is revolutionizing the way heart patients are diagnosed. However, it takes up to 20 minutes to perform a 4D flow MRI, and we know patients don’t like long MRI scans.”
Following this, the team further investigated the reliability of a new technique that uses an ultra-fast method to scan blood flow in the heart, called Kat-ARC.
This halved the scan time, which takes about eight minutes to diagnose heart failure and accurately measure the peak velocity of blood flow in the heart, the doctoral student said.
The team tested the new technology on 50 patients at two hospitals in Sheffield, England. Evaluation of patients with suspected heart failure using the new Kat-ARC 4D flow MRI.
(with PTI input)
Get all business news, market news, breaking news events and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app for daily market updates.
more less
post your comment