What's On News September 2020 World Class Cardiac MR Imaging for Mater patients

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World Class Cardiac MR Imaging for Mater patients

Wednesday 23 September 2020

Queensland X-Ray at Mater Hospital Brisbane has established a world-class cardiac MR imaging facility, which has opened in September 2020.

Queensland X-Ray has assembled a team of highly trained and experienced cardiac MRI technologists, cardiologists and radiologists coupled with the installation of the new 1.5 Tesla Siemens Sola MRI. This results in a facility that is performing the highest quality comprehensive cardiac MR imaging service in Queensland.

While 3 Tesla MRI scanners dominate the MRI market in Australia, they are unsuited to cardiac imaging as the higher field strength results in magnetic field inhomogeneities and artefacts that significantly degrade images of the moving heart, rendering these studies difficult to interpret.

Queensland X-Ray Cardiac MRI Services and Research Manager Wendy Strugnell has over 20 years of experience in cardiac MRI and an international reputation in cardiac MRI research and education. Wendy explained how excited the team were to be able to offer this service at Mater.

“It is our goal to establish the Mater campus as a world-class cardiac imaging centre with access to the latest imaging technology and close collaboration between cardiac imaging specialists and other specialist clinicians,” Wendy said.

“To perform Cardiac MRI requires expert knowledge and experience in image acquisition, comprehensive protocoling, close real-time supervision and expert post-acquisition image analysis to yield reliable, reproducible and clinically useful structural and functional information which we are able to do here.”

Queensland X-Ray Director of Cardiac Imaging, Dr John Fenwick, stated that the new 1.5 Tesla MRI would provide clinicians with more accurate anatomical and functional detail of the heart and particularly of the right heart chambers that can be challenging to fully quantify with echocardiography.

“This facility will produce cardiac images of the highest spatial and temporal resolution and will play an indispensable role in the management of patients with congenital or acquired heart disease,” John said.

“We are able to image the structure of cardiac tissue which allows us to assess why a patient may be experiencing arrhythmic episodes, fainting spells or chest pains.” 

Mater Cardiologist Dr Mugur Nicolae said he could not be happier with the new facility as previously patients requiring cardiac MRI needed to be transferred to Prince Charles Hospital.

“Now we are able to send our patients internally, which is fantastic. No other centre on the Southside of Brisbane is able to offer this service, so it really sets Mater apart. This centre has significantly elevated Mater in the provision of cardiac services” Mugur said.

“I have been so impressed with the expertise of the team at this new facility. These are specially trained technologists, cardiologists and radiologists providing extremely useful and clinically relevant information allowing us to make better treatment decisions which ultimately improves patient outcomes.”  

The new cardiac MRI is fully Medicare licenced.  For more information please contact Queensland X-ray on (07) 3840 6299 or visit https://www.qldxray.com.au/locations/mater-hospital-brisbane/

Prices will be dependant on the complexity of the examination and clinical indication.
Individual quotations will be provided at the time of the booking.