Cardiac MRI

Cardiac MRI at 3 Tesla for assessment of myocardial structure, function, and tissue characterisation. Evaluates chamber volumes, wall motion, valvular function, and can detect myocardial fibrosis, inflammation, and infiltrative disease without ionising radiation.

Cardiac MRI at Medicover Hospital is performed on the 3T Magnetom 3 Neo with ECG-gated protocols that synchronise image acquisition to the cardiac cycle. The examination provides a comprehensive assessment of cardiac anatomy and function that is considered the reference standard for measuring ventricular volumes, ejection fraction, and myocardial mass. Standard cardiac MRI sequences include cine imaging for wall motion assessment, T1 and T2 mapping for tissue characterisation, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging that identifies areas of myocardial fibrosis or scar. LGE patterns are diagnostically specific — subendocardial enhancement suggests ischaemic cardiomyopathy, while mid-wall or epicardial patterns point to non-ischaemic conditions such as myocarditis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or sarcoidosis. The examination is particularly valuable when echocardiography provides inconclusive findings or when tissue characterisation is needed to guide clinical decisions. Common indications include cardiomyopathy evaluation, post-myocarditis assessment, cardiac mass characterisation, congenital heart disease, and iron overload quantification in patients with haemochromatosis or transfusion-dependent anaemias. Medicover Hospital's cardiology department includes specialists in cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology, supported by CARTO 3 and EnSite Precision navigation systems — meaning cardiac MRI findings integrate directly into the treatment pathway when intervention is required.