MRI
MRI is a non-invasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct pictures of the body.
Unlike conventional radiography and Computed Tomographic (CT) imaging, which make use of potentially harmful radiation (X-rays), MRI imaging is based on the magnetic properties of atoms. A powerful magnet generates a magnetic field roughly 10,000 times stronger than the natural background magnetism from the earth. A very small percentage of hydrogen atoms within a human body will align with this field.
An MRI can help medical professionals diagnose and evaluate certain types of cardiac disease.
Heart Center MRI Innovations
Nationwide, physicians with the Heart Center of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center were the first to report the successful use of MRI to detect blockages and measure flow in the coronary arteries. With additional research, MRI may become a new tool for diagnosing heart disease. Medical Center physicians were also the first to use MRI stress testing as an alternative for patients unable to undergo echocardiography testing.
At the Heart Center of Wake Forest Baptist, we are proud to offer treatments such as cardiac MRI, EKG, and TEE diagnostics as well as certain procedures unavailable anywhere else in the region and to provide care that rates among the best in the nation. U.S. News & World Report ranks us as one of the country's top hospitals in cardiology and cardiac surgery in its 2002"America's Best Hospitals" listing.
Learn more about the Heart Center of Wake Forest Baptist and our procedures involving cardiac MRI.