Cardiac Imaging

While cardiac ultrasound is the widely used imaging modality for heart assessments, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear imaging are also used and are often complimentary, each offering specific details about the heart other modalities cannot. For this reason the clinical question being asked often determines the imaging test that will be used.

Artificial intelligence automated measurements on an echocardiogram on the Siemens SyngoDynamics cardiovascular imaging and information solution. AI is helping speed workflows and complete tedious tasks faster and more accurately that humans, allowing sonographers and cardiologists to be more efficient. Photo by Dave Fornell

AI technologies to be featured heavily at ASE 2023

Artificial intelligence will be one of the hottest topics at the upcoming American Society of Echocardiography meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. 

June 21, 2023
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Photon-counting technology offers new opportunities in imaging high-risk CAD patients

Coronary CT angiography is commonly used to assess patients at low or intermediate risk of CAD but is less effective in high-risk patients with an increased presence of coronary calcifications and stents due to the “blooming” effect they have on imaging.

June 21, 2023
Video of Jon Lindner explaining the use of ultrasound and bubble contrast for therapy.

Cardiac ultrasound could lead to key advances in heart attack care, drug delivery

Jonathan Lindner, MD, offers an update on the use of echocardiography and bubble contrast agents in a therapy role to help revascularize STEMI patients and increase drug and gene delivery.

June 15, 2023
Phillip Cuculich MD explains Noninvasive Cardiac Radiotherapy ablation for ventricular tachycardia as a late-breaking study at HRS 2023. #HRS2023

Radiotherapy VT ablation linked to encouraging 5-year outcomes

"The goal is to treat patients with life-threatening VT in a safer, faster and better way," one researcher explained.

June 2, 2023
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Similar plaque burden, different risks: Why CCTA might one day alter treatment in postmenopausal women

New data suggest that the burden of atherosclerosis on imaging might not be as indicative of major cardiovascular events as a person’s age and sex. 

May 11, 2023
X-ray photon trajectory during the simulation phantom study from the side and top views. Due to scattering of the X-rays when they hit the lower end of the patient bed, exposure in mainly to the lower body of the interventional echocardiographer performing transesophageal echocardiography. The green lines are the scattered photon trajectories calculated by Monte Carlo simulation in the study.

Radiation exposure in the cath lab: Tracking the impact on interventional echocardiographers

Researchers found that echocardiographers in the cath lab are exposed to high doses of radiation on the right half of their body, especially the waist and lower body. 

April 28, 2023
Example of interventional echocardiography TEE imaging superimposed on live fluoro during a transseptal puncture for a MitraClip procedure.

New ASE guideline outlines training standards for interventional echocardiography

The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) released a new guideline document that outlines uniform training standards for interventional sonographers guiding structural heart procedures.

April 26, 2023
VIDEO: American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) President Mouaz Al-Mallah, MD, chair of cardiovascular PET and associate director of nuclear cardiology, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, and ASNC President-elect Larry Phillips, MD, director of nuclear cardiology, NYU Langone, outline the new technologies available and why upgrading cardiac nuclear labs matters and what is the ROI. #ASNC

What is the ROI for upgrading nuclear cardiology labs?

Some nuclear cardiology labs are still using SPECT systems that are 20-25 years old. Is it time to make an upgrade? 

April 12, 2023

Around the web

The newly approved AI models are designed to improve the detection of pulmonary embolisms and strokes in patients who undergo CT scans.

"I see, at least for the next decade, this being a SPECT and PET world, not one or the other," explained Tim Bateman, MD.

The FDA-approved technology developed by HeartFlow can predict a patient's long-term risk of target vessel failure as well as more invasive treatments performed inside a cath lab. 

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