MR-INFORM Trial Published in the New England Journal of Medicine  

A 40 minute test for angina could help patients avoid an overnight stay in the hospital, according to research funded by the NIHR Guy's and St. Thomas' Biomedical Research Centre according to a new trial published in the  New England Journal of Medicine.  The MR-INFORM trial looked at whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be used to guide treatment decisions for angina patients, rather than performing a more invasive procedure.  

MRI Plays A Role in Diagnosis of Cocaine-related Damage to the Heart 

Cardiac MRI has a pivotal role to play in the diagnosis of cocaine-induced cardiovascular diseases, according to an article published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging. Cardiac MRI is well positioned to be central to the diagnostic workup of cocaine abuse-related heart problems. Its greatest strength, according to study senior author and current SCMR Board Member Marco Francone, MD, PhD, from Sapienza University in Rome, is its ability to provide a microscopic view into living tissue, helping clinicians differentiate among a wide spectrum of heart diseases. 

2018 Journal Impact Factor Released: JCMR 5.070

The 2018 journal impact factors were released last week and The Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (JCMR), the official journal of the SCMR, maintained an outstanding impact factor of 5.070. The 2018 Impact Factor reflects the frequency with which papers published in JCMR in 2016 and 2017 were cited by articles in 2018. This key indicator demonstrates the influence and scientific value of the journal.


Study suggests MRI should be standard practice for NSTEMI diagnosis, treatment

Bypassing standard angiography and skipping straight to an MRI might help physicians more easily identify and treat patients who have suffered non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), a team at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian have found.
John F. Heitner, MD, an associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill, and colleagues said in  Circulation this month that it can be difficult for physicians to pinpoint the artery that caused a patient's heart attack, and their go-to for locating it tends to be coronary angiography. With angiography, an interventional cardiologist takes X-rays of a patient's vessels during a cardiac catheterization, and MRI is only considered if angiography results aren't clear to the cardiologist.

Potentially Fatal Buildup of Proteins in the Heart Often Goes Undiagnosed

A potentially fatal buildup of abnormal proteins in the heart and other organs is being delayed in its diagnosis and undertreated -- despite new drugs that can combat it, a new study suggests. Although the condition, known as transthyretin amyloidosis, is still perceived as rare, advances in imaging techniques have led to greater awareness. Increasingly, it's being recognized as a cause of heart failure in older adults, with autopsy studies showing these proteins in the hearts of 25% of the elderly.

Heart-Screening Program Detects Early Problems in Student-Athletes  

Watch this video to hear how a heart-screening program, specifically a cardiac MRI, helped diagnosed a high school athlete with cardiomyopathy. "Having doctors being able to detect that for me was like a blessing" stated S outh Mecklenburg High School senior Myles Jones. He had never had any signs of health or heart issues before the screening.



A 19-year-old woman presented with a 2-week history of painful atraumatic left ankle swelling associated with painful plantar-flexion and petechial rash on the left foot.  Six weeks prior to presentation, she experienced f lu-like illness with headache, fevers and myalgias /athralgias. On examination, there was a  non-blanching petechial rash over the dorsum of the left foot with associated edema and warmth but no erythema. P eripheral pulses were normally palpable with normal capillary refill .  Neurological exam of the foot was normal except for 4/5 power on plantar flexion due to pain. Ultrasound of the leg showed a thrombus in the lateral tarsal artery raising a possibility of an embolus.

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