Innovative Exercise MRI Technique Enhances Heart Disease Diagnosis

A new exercise-based MRI technique allows clinicians to observe real-time heart responses during physical activity, facilitating earlier and more accurate diagnosis of heart disease.

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Recent advancements in cardiac imaging technology propose a groundbreaking approach for assessing heart health: exercising within an MRI scanner. This method involves attaching a specialized pedal ergometer to the MRI bed, allowing patients to pedal during imaging sessions. As the patient exercises, physicians can observe real-time responses of the heart, providing crucial insights that static scans might miss. Heart disease remains the leading cause of mortality in the UK, accounting for one death every three seconds. Early and accurate diagnosis is vital for improving patient outcomes.

A study published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, led by the LMS's computational cardiac imaging group, establishes normative data ranges for how healthy hearts respond to exercise, factoring in differences between men and women and adjusting for body size. The research involved live imaging of 161 healthy individuals aged 22 to 77 during exercise, identifying characteristic responses that indicate healthy cardiac function.

This technique—known as Exercise Cardiac MRI (exCMR)—represents a valuable diagnostic tool for cardiovascular conditions. Traditional MRI scans are performed at rest, which can sometimes mask early signs of heart problems that only become evident during physical activity. By incorporating exercise, clinicians gain a clearer picture of the heart’s resilience and detect abnormalities that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Prof. Declan O'Regan explains that young individuals or those in the early stages of heart disease often compensate well during rest. However, exercise reveals their true cardiac capacity, aiding earlier diagnosis. Implementing exCMR in clinics could lead to more precise interventions and improved health outcomes.

A significant challenge to wider adoption has been the lack of established reference ranges for normal and abnormal responses to exercise during MRI tests. The new study addresses this gap, providing clinicians with standardized benchmarks to interpret results effectively, making the test safer, more affordable, and easier to implement. This development aligns with the LMS's goal to bridge fundamental research and clinical practice, ultimately enhancing diagnostic capabilities and patient care.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-biking-mri-machine-physicians-heart.html