Interventional cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: current applications, technology readiness level, and future...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Technology
• Interventional Cardiology

Background:

• Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) offers superior resolution and tissue characterization for guiding cardiac procedures.
• Current clinical adoption of interventional CMR is hindered by a lack of MRI-compatible equipment.
• This review examines the technology readiness level (TRL) of interventional CMR applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on interventional CMR applications and their TRL.
• To identify current and future applications of interventional CMR.
• To assess the clinical translation status of interventional CMR.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed with terms related to interventional CMR and cardiac procedures.
• Papers were screened for relevance, and TRL was estimated on a scale of 1 (hypothetical) to 9 (widespread clinical translation).
• Included studies were categorized by procedure type to estimate TRL.

Main Results:

• 117 out of 466 papers met the inclusion criteria.
• The majority of applications had a TRL of 5, indicating suitability for in vivo animal studies.
• Diagnostic right heart catheterization and cavotricuspid isthmus ablation demonstrated the highest TRL (8), with proven human feasibility and efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Interventional CMR has significant potential for widespread use, but clinical translation is currently modest (TRL 5).
• Future advancements in MRI-compatible equipment and CMR techniques are crucial for increasing TRL.
• Enhanced interventional CMR capabilities promise improved patient treatments.