Find out how magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart is helping physicians to pinpoint diagnoses and tailor treatment at EuroCMR 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
EuroCMR is the annual cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) congress of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), a branch of the ESC. It takes place 6 to 8 May online. Explore the scientific programme.
Novel research will be presented including the use of hypnosis to enable claustrophobic patients to undergo CMR, the effect of weight loss on heart function in obese people and improving detection of cardiotoxicity in lymphoma survivors. Plus: insights into long-term recovery of the heart muscle after heart attack treatment and the causes of stroke in young adults.
The future of image fusion will be discussed in a session dedicated to the evaluation of ischaemic heart disease. Hear how clinicians are combining CMR images with computed tomography (CT) scans to create a personalised picture of an individual patient’s heart and coronary arteries. Programme chair Professor Robert Manka said: “We can show where the arteries supply the heart and which areas of the heart would benefit from revascularisation to improve blood flow and prognosis.”
Scientists are taking this a step further and creating a fingerprint of the heart by combining many different types of CMR images. This will be explored in one of two sessions devoted to hot topics in CMR. “Each individual’s heart has a unique fingerprint, which could ultimately be used to provide more accurate diagnoses and effective treatments,” said Professor Manka.
CMR is also revealing differences between women and men in how the heart adapts after a myocardial infarction, responds to therapies, and copes with endurance sports. These sex differences in CMR imaging will be examined in a second “hot topics” session. Professor Manka said: “CMR is helping us to understand these distinctions and providing clues to improve the way we interpret scans and provide therapies according to gender.”
Also in that session: a look at CMR for early detection of heart problems due to chemotherapy and how that may change the anti-cancer treatment strategy. Plus: CMR in COVID-19. Professor Manka said: “The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 might cause oedema in the heart but most people recover with no long-term effects. Others experience late consequences from the infection and CMR is the best method to look at the heart for changes due to COVID-19.”
A session is devoted to determining the risk of sudden cardiac death. “CMR has the potential to identify who would benefit from an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to prevent sudden cardiac death,” said Professor Manka. “For example, some athletes with inherited heart conditions and some survivors of myocardial infarction.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) is improving image quality and interpretation, for greater speed and potentially more accuracy in diagnosis of heart problems. The latest applications of AI in CMR will be reviewed by experts in the field.
Key opinion leaders will also discuss new developments and future perspectives in congenital heart disease imaging – including 3D printing for planning interventions and real time imaging in children, which does not require breath-holding. Professor Manka said: “The methods for 3D printing continue to improve, moving it closer to wider use in clinical practice. This will particularly benefit patients with congenital heart disease who have several operations in childhood and as adults.”
Stay tuned for a mix of live and on-demand sessions with opportunities to quiz the presenters. The congress brings together cardiologists, radiologists, radiographers, imaging scientists, MRI physicists, computer scientists and engineers. Register as Press now for the largest CMR conference in Europe.
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