Heart of the problem

Heart patient care could improve if research succeeds in boosting the quantity and quality of scan data. New techniques for streamlining magnetic resonance imaging and producing more useful information are to be studied so that the potential of scanning as a diagnostic tool is improved.

The London-based investigations will focus on making the most of the latest generation of scanners so that the problems experienced with many of the current models are eliminated.

The first problem is caused by a patient's natural desire to breathe during a scan. Movement blurs the picture and, as the heart sits on top of the diaphragm, patients are asked to hold their breath so that the heart stays reasonably still.

This is not always easy because patients may be anxious about entering the enclosing scanner, or their medical condition may make it difficult. Most have to be coached by the radiographers to hold their breath, which itself takes time, and even then they are usually asked to sustain it for only 20 seconds.