This Article Free upon publication Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Related Collections Related Articles

(Circulation. 2006;114:1225.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Issue Highlights

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	CLINICAL UTILITY AND SAFETY OF A PROTOCOL FOR NONCARDIAC AND CARDIAC MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF PATIENTS WITH PERMANENT PACEMAKERS AND IMPLANTABLE CARDIOVERTER DEFIBRILLATORS AT 1.5 TESLA, by Nazarian et al.

 
and

	STRATEGY FOR SAFE PERFORMANCE OF EXTRATHORACIC MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING AT 1.5 TESLA IN THE PRESENCE OF CARDIAC PACEMAKERS IN NON–PACEMAKER-DEPENDENT PATIENTS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY WITH 115 EXAMINATIONS, by Sommer et al.

 
Parallel with the evolution of clinically useful applications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), there is an increasing population of patients considered to have a contraindication to having an MRI study, i.e. those with internal devices such as pacemakers or implantable defibrillators. This issue is especially prevalent among patients with heart failure and LV dysfunction, based on the evidence for biventricular pacing as well as defibrillators. Small series have suggested that there may be some patients with devices who can safely undergo an MRI study. Two papers in this issue of Circulation advance the knowledge regarding this controversy, incorporating novel approaches. Sommer and colleagues report on 82 patients with pacemakers having nonthoracic MRI studies after prophylactic preprogramming of the pacemakers. This study assessed post-MRI pacemaker function, measured troponin levels as an indicator of thermal injury, and followed short-term outcomes to suggest that selected patients with devices, given specific pre-MRI programming, can safely undergo MRI. Nazarian and colleagues follow their recently published Circulation study assessing safety of selected devices for cardiac MRI in animal models by now reporting on 55 patients who had the same devices undergoing cardiac MRI, which was shown to be safe. The authors’ conclusions involve the relative safety given specific preimaging programming and the predefined device selectivity. These 2 studies together provide safety information on over 100 patients with devices having MRI studies. At what point can clinicians feel comfortable with the safety data? This question is addressed from a regulatory perspective in an accompanying editorial by . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Related Articles:

Food and Drug Administration Perspective: Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Patients

Owen P. Faris and Mitchell Shein
Circulation 2006 114: 1232-1233. [Extract] [Full Text]

Angiographic Computed Tomography for Imaging of Underdeployed Intracranial Stent

Goetz Benndorf, Richard P. Klucznik, and Charles M. Strother
Circulation 2006 114: e499-e500. [Extract] [Full Text]

Coronary Collaterals in Full Effect

Paul Knaapen, Lucas J. Klein, Robin Nijveldt, Tjeerd Germans, Albert C. van Rossum, and Carel C. de Cock
Circulation 2006 114: e501-e502. [Extract] [Full Text]

Cannulation of a Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava: A Clue Given by ECG Guidance

Wolfram Schummer and Claudia Schummer
Circulation 2006 114: e503-e504. [Extract] [Full Text]

Cardiac Catheterization in Congenital Heart Disease: Pediatric and Adult

James E. Lock and Audrey C. Marshall
Circulation 2006 114: e505. [Extract] [Full Text]

Letter by Romanens and Miserez Regarding Article, "Effect of Intensive Versus Standard Lipid-Lowering Treatment With Atorvastatin on the Progression of Calcified Coronary Atherosclerosis Over 12 Months: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind Trial"

Michel J. Romanens and André R. Miserez
Circulation 2006 114: e506. [Extract] [Full Text]

Cost-Effectiveness of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts Versus Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Revascularization of High-Risk Patients

Kevin T. Stroupe, Douglass A. Morrison, Mark A. Hlatky, Paul G. Barnett, Lishan Cao, Christopher Lyttle, Denise M. Hynes, William G. Henderson for the Investigators of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program #385 (AWESOME: Angina With Extremely Serious Operative Mortality Evaluation)
Circulation 2006 114: 1251-1257. [Abstract] [Full Text]