Information

Cardiac MRI is a safe, non-invasive test that creates detailed pictures of your organs and tissues. Cardiac MRI creates both still and moving (‘real-time’) images of the heart and major blood vessels. This allows the doctor to assess the heart’s structure and function.

The procedure takes 1 ½ hours.

The MRI radiographer will contact you to schedule your appointment and answer any questions.

You will be given a questionnaire to fill out to establish your compatibility with the magnetic environment.

You will be asked to change into a gown. The nurse or radiographer will place a cannula into your arm to allow contrast to be injected. Your heart rate will be monitored throughout the test using ECG leads to synchronise the images with the beating heart. There will be belt placed around your abdomen to monitor your breathing.

The scan requires you to lie on your back, with an imaging device placed around your chest, and then connected to a monitor. You will be given breathing instructions and the procedure will be explained to you.