Cardiac Imaging

The Clear Choice for Your Heart

At UMass Memorial Health, we use leading-edge imaging technology to diagnose all types of heart and blood vessel diseases. Our team includes radiologists with additional fellowship training in cardiothoracic, vascular, and interventional radiology, as well as highly experienced cardiac sonographers. Their depth and breadth of expertise in cardiovascular imaging is unmatched in the region. 

When Do I Need Cardiac Imaging? 

We usually recommend cardiac imaging when the results of other cardiovascular tests, such as a stress test or echocardiogram, are abnormal. Cardiac imaging gives us more information about your symptoms and helps us confirm a diagnosis. We may also use imaging to see how well your heart is functioning after surgery or to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments, such as medication or an implanted device. 

Cardiac MRI

UMass Memorial Medical Center is the only hospital in Central Massachusetts to offer cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This imaging is a noninvasive test that uses radio waves, magnets and a computer to create detailed images of your heart and blood vessels. Cardiac MRI doesn’t use radiation, making it a safer option for some people. 

We may use cardiac MRI to evaluate and diagnose: 

• Angina (chest pain)

• Congenital heart disease

• Heart failure

• Heart valve disease

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickened heart muscle)

Cardiac CT Scan

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) uses X-rays to take hundreds of cross-sectional pictures of your heart. A powerful computer uses the images, called slices, to create a 3D model of your heart and the blood vessels. At UMass Memorial, our cardiac CT machine allows us to scan faster and at a radiation dose that’s 50% lower than the machines used at most other hospitals.

We often do a special type of CT scan called CT angiography, which is especially useful for evaluating blood vessels. We inject a contrast dye through a vein in your arm. The dye helps create clearer pictures of veins, arteries and tissues. 

We may use cardiac CT to evaluate and diagnose:  

• Aortic aneurysms

• Atherosclerosis

• Coronary heart disease

• Pulmonary embolism

Coronary Calcium Scoring

Coronary calcium scoring is a type of CT scan that looks for calcium deposits on the walls of your coronary arteries, an early sign of coronary heart disease. Coronary calcium scoring can predict your risk of a heart attack. Talk to your primary care provider or cardiologist to find out if coronary calcium scoring is right for you. 

3D Echocardiography

Echocardiography is a noninvasive test that uses sound waves to create images of your beating heart. Three-dimensional (3D) echo is a more advanced test that helps us see your heart in more detail and from any angle. It also provides important measurements about your heart’s function, such as ejection fraction (volume of blood your left ventricle pumps out). 

We offer:

• 3D transesophageal echo (TEE): We put a probe with a transducer (device that produces sound waves) down your throat and into your esophagus. A TEE provides a clearer view of your heart since the sound waves don’t go through bone and soft tissue.

• 3D intracardiac echo: We are leading the way in intracardiac echo by using this advanced, real-time imaging technique to guide interventional procedures. Intracardiac echo allows us to treat many structural heart diseases less invasively, without the need for transesophageal echo or general anesthesia. 

Nuclear Cardiac Imaging

Nuclear cardiac imaging uses a small amount of radioactive material (radiotracer) to evaluate how well blood flows into your heart muscle at rest and during exercise. Whereas other imaging scans evaluate the structure of your heart, nuclear scans evaluate molecular activity in your heart. PET scans and nuclear stress tests are types of nuclear imaging.

Nuclear imaging can help us diagnose: 

• Cardiac amyloidosis

• Cardiomyopathy

• Coronary heart disease

• Damage from a heart attack

• Inflammation or infection in your heart