ADVANCED CARDIAC IMAGING UNIT
Controller: Dr. Angélica Romero Daza
Cardiac imaging is an area of cardiology with great advances in recent years, currently being a fundamental part of the study and treatment of our patients. Using numerous imaging techniques we can assess heart health, reach a diagnosis, prognosis and guide treatment. We perform a wide spectrum of diagnostic imaging techniques, with cutting-edge technology and highly qualified professionals.
Our unit focuses on the application of three fundamental imaging techniques.
Echocardiography , Computed Tomography (CT) and Cardiac MRI.
Echocardiography is the cornerstone of cardiac imaging, being the oldest technique, with great advances over time, from which a wide range of techniques are derived and where the initial diagnosis and monitoring of our patients is focused. It allows the ultrasound evaluation of cardiac structures, obtaining moving images of the heart, which can be two-dimensional or three-dimensional and with the application of color Doppler. Initially, it is performed through the chest ( transthoracic echocardiogram ), but there are also more specific techniques such as the transesophageal echocardiogram (a semi-invasive evaluation of the heart by introducing a specific probe through the esophagus to visualize the cardiac structures in greater detail), stress echocardiogram with exercise and drugs (the heart is subjected to physical stress or through the administration of drugs, and the contractility of the heart and sometimes valvular functions are evaluated through the transthoracic echocardiogram); it is also possible to administer bubble contrast to enhance the image and rule out shunts.
Additionally, we perform cardiac MRI , which is a complex technique that has evolved and developed significantly in recent decades. It allows for the anatomical and functional assessment of cardiac structures and is the gold standard for the anatomical and functional evaluation of the heart. It also provides highly specialized information about the myocardial muscle. One of its main uses is the assessment of myocardial viability; that is, by administering gadolinium contrast or inducing stress through drugs, it is possible to assess heart scars and guide and predict the response of the cardiac muscle to other specific cardiological techniques and treatments.
Finally, in the last two decades, a technique that has revolutionized clinical cardiology is cardiac CT , which, through the use of radiation and iodinated contrast, allows for image perfection, clearly showing the myocardial muscle and the arteries of the heart. It is currently the ideal test for the non-invasive assessment of coronary arteries and cardiac structures in patients with low to intermediate risk. Among its other applications are coronary calcium scoring (assessment of coronary artery disease burden and stratification of patients into risk groups) and the study of major cardiac vascular structures such as the thoracic aorta , pulmonary veins , and aortic valve , among others.
- 2D, 3D and Color Doppler transthoracic echocardiogram.
- 2D and 3D Transesophageal Echocardiogram.
- Bubble echocardiogram: detection of shunts/short circuits.
- Stress Echocardiography.
- Pharmacological stress echocardiogram.
- Coronary Calcium Score.
- CT of coronary arteries.
- Cardiac CT.
- CT of pulmonary veins.
- CT scan of the thoracic aorta.
- Cardiac and Aortic CT for planning percutaneous aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
- Cardiac resonance without contrast (anatomical and functional studies).
- Cardiac resonance with resting contrast (anatomical, functional and myocardial viability studies).
- Stress cardiac resonance (anatomical, functional, myocardial viability and pharmacologically induced myocardial ischemia studies).
- Thoracic Aortic Resonance without/with contrast.
