The Spectrum Health Fred and Lena Meijer Heart and Vascular Institute recently took delivery of a Siemens 1.5 Tesla Sola magnet, which strengthens its commitment to providing state-of-the-art cardiac imaging to patients in West Michigan. The new magnet, located in the new Cardiac MRI Suite on the first floor of the Meijer Heart Center, opens to patients this week.
Spectrum Health’s comprehensive Cardiac MRI Program is the only program in West Michigan that provides the full spectrum of advanced cardiac imaging, including stress cardiac MRI. Dr. Wissam Abdallah, medical director of cardiac MRI, and advanced imaging cardiologist, at Spectrum Health talks about how the addition of a new suite will help patients seeking treatment from the Cardiac MRI Program.
Cardiac MRI allows physicians to image the heart in ways other imaging modalities are not able to. A cardiac MRI examination, which typically lasts 45 – 60 minutes, gives the most accurate assessment of heart function and cardiac chamber sizes, accurate views of the valves, as well as direct visualization for any scarring of the heart muscle.
Performing a cardiac MRI allows cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons to non-invasively determine which patients may benefit from invasive procedures such as cardiac stent placement or open-heart surgery. This technology allows Spectrum Health cardiologists to make diagnoses that can really make a difference.
A cardiac MRI exam can answer a myriad of questions with one test, allowing us to not only identify a disease state but to determine where in the disease process they are. The additional magnet in the ‘heart’ of the Meijer Heart Center will significantly improve access to this powerful technology and allow patients the ability to undergo the necessary testing to assist in their diagnosis and treatment plan.
The field of cardiac MRI has rapidly expanded in the past several years. The Spectrum Health Cardiac MRI Program has witnessed a 330 percent increase in volume since 2013. Cardiac MRI is now the main imaging modality to evaluate various cardiomyopathies, myocardial viability, accurate quantification of valvular heart disease, as well as cardiac inflammation and fibrosis.
A growing body of literature has also demonstrated the superiority of stress cardiac MRI to other stress imaging modalities. At Spectrum Health, they frequently incorporate cardiac MRI in the medical decision-making for many patients to accurately diagnose their underlying cardiac conditions and to provide the best treatment recommendations.
The new Cardiac MRI Suite in Meijer Heart Center demonstrates the commitment to adopting state-of-the-art technologies in cardiac imaging for the comprehensive care of cardiovascular patients.
To find out more about the Cardiac MRI Program at Spectrum Health, go to spectrumhealth.org.
Medical Moment is sponsored by Spectrum Health.
