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BayCare offers several convenient health care services that help get care you need to get back to feeling better.
Cardiac MRI
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive imaging procedure that provides detailed images of the heart and its blood vessels. MRI uses magnetic technology, rather than radiation, to create pictures of the heart. It shows good contrast between blood and the heart muscle allowing thorough evaluation of the heart function and structure. Cardiac MRI can answer questions that other tests may not, such as an echocardiogram which does have limits to amount of detailed information it can provide about a heart’s anatomy.
As important as the procedure itself, is the expertise of the individual who interprets the results. This person should be a pediatric cardiologist with specialized training in congenital cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our pediatric cardiologist interprets MRI results for both children and adults born with many types of heart defects and other heart conditions. Our team also includes imaging technologists who are experienced in performing MRIs to evaluate congenital heart conditions such as Tetralogy of Fallot, Coarctation of the Aorta, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathies as well as complex congenital heart defects.
We know that children are not small adults
We understand the special care your youngster needs. Every congenital heart defect patient is unique and being able to use cardiac MRI to evaluate their cardiac anatomy and function in real-time will allow for better long-term treatment planning.
To get clear images, patients need to remain still in the MRI scanner during the test. To help kids with this, the hospital provides specially equipped virtual reality goggles that can be used to watch movies or play music during the procedure. For very young patients or those having difficulty remaining still during the MRI, anesthesia is available under the guidance of dedicated cardiac anesthesia specialists. Our team of board-certified anesthesiologists and pediatric intensive care physicians are experienced and specially trained to care for patients with complex medical conditions who undergo cardiac MRI exams.