An interdisciplinary research group from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing (MEVIS) has co-developed a new cardiac MRI technique with faster image acquisition and software for the analysis of the resulting ECG-free multi-cyclic image sequences.
The group collaborated on a project called Cardiac Function in Real Time (CaFuR). The method shortens acquisition times and takes 30 to 50 images of the heart per second, allows for free breathing, and does not require the use of ECG. It uses an algorithm that identifies breathing and heart contraction phases during the imaging session.
Because the technique is a software extension for existing MR devices, it does not require new hardware, the Fraunhofer Institute said.
