Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (cardiovascular MRI) creates high quality images to visualize heart and vascular structures and functions without exposing patients to ionizing radiation and iodinated contrast dye. It's also non-invasive.

Cardiovascular MRI provides comprehensive information about various heart conditions including coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure and vascular disease.

For patients with coronary artery disease, cardiovascular MRI shows heart muscle and valve functions, enabling a doctor to visualize and assess blockage of the coronary arteries during an exercise stress test. It's also useful for evaluating patients with congestive heart failure to determine of the heart function status and the cause of the failure.

In patients with high blood pressure, narrowing of both renal arteries is a treatable cause. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging can be used to evaluate renal arteries without given iodinated contrast dye which may reduce kidney function in some patients. MRI fast scanning without radiation exposure, enables doctors to examine the patient's entire arterial system effectively and safely.

MRI is the best method to identify scar tissue of the heart muscle and narrowing of the arteries

Consult your physician whether MRI could be of benefit if you have:

• Shortness of breath;
• A history of heart failure;
• Chest pain when undergoing an abnormal exercise ECG stress test;
• Valvular heart disease;
• Pericardial disease;
• Uncontrollable high blood pressure;
• Congenital heart disease;
• Pain during walking;
• Peripheral vascular disease;
• Concerns about arterial blockage or coronary artery disease and you are not eligible for 64-Slice Multi-Detector Spiral Computerized Tomography (MDCT) scanning; and
• A need to determine whether you would benefit from balloon angioplasty or bypass surgery.

For further information, please contact the Perfect Heart Institute at Piyavate Hospital International Health Care Service Provider.