Cardiac MRI at higher magnetic field strength to assess heart function
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Cardiovascular assessments with Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy at 7-Tesla – Comparisons with 3-Tesla or 1.5-Tesla (CMR at 7T)
IRAS ID
128163
Contact name
Stefan Neubauer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Research summary
Coronary artery disease (reduced blood supply to the heart) and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (structural changes of the heart) are major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Although magnetic resonance imaging of the heart (CMR) plays a vital role in the assessment of these disease; current CMR machines in clinical practice and research (1.5 and 3-Tesla) are far from optimal. This important issue can potentially be addressed by CMR at higher magnetic fields (7-Tesla), which has been scarcely investigated. This study will compare the effectiveness of CMR at 7-Tesla to 1.5/3-Tesla in a range of cardiac assessments. If proven to be superior to 1.5/3-Tesla, CMR at 7-Tesla has the potential to revolutionise the precision with which heart disease can be investigated. As an observational study, 60 healthy volunteers and 120 patients with heart disease (60 with coronary artery disease and 60 with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy) will undergo 2 CMR scans (one at 7-Tesla and one at either 1.5 or 3-Tesla) on 2 separate visits. Participation is entirely voluntary and each participant will receive a physical examination and ECG prior to scanning. Healthy volunteers will be recruited via posters, emails and word or mouth within the University of Oxford, Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Trusts, Oxford. Patients with heart disease will be initially approached by their treating physician in John Radcliffe Hospital, OUH NHS trust and Royal Brompton Hospital NHS Trust, London.
REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/SC/0376
Date of REC Opinion
16 Aug 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion