New Jersey Cardiac MRI

A Noninvasive Heart Health Assessment

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a painless and noninvasive imaging technique that uses magnets instead of radiation. In the cardiology department, MRIs are used to assess the health of the heart, major vessels, and blood flow.

A cardiac MRI can tell your doctor more about:

• The thickness of the chambers of the heart
• Damage caused by a heart attack or progressive heart disease
• The heart’s functional ability after cardiac surgery
• Possible blood clots
• Blood flow through major vessels
• Swelling in the lining of the heart

Your doctor may recommend a cardiac MRI if you are at risk for heart disease, have dealt with chronic chest pains, or recently underwent cardiac surgery. Keeping up with the health of your heart can help you and your care team take measures to prevent heart attack, stroke, and other cardiac events.

Why do I Need This Test?

Cardiac MRIs are typically only recommended when your physician needs to monitor the progress of cardiac disease. This can take many forms, from checking how well the heart is pumping to looking for scarring and other damage after a heart attack.

MRIs are painless and do not use any radiation, so you should be cleared to have one even if you have received radiation therapy or other imaging tests in the past year. Though the test is noninvasive, it does require you to sit still on a table that slides into a large tube, which makes some people claustrophobic. You will be able to communicate with someone using an intercom during the entire procedure, but if you are still feeling anxious then a doctor may be able to give you a sedative to help you relax.