Current and Emerging Technologies for Cardiovascular Imaging

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the western world. With the application of theoretical physics to the clinic, a variety of imaging technologies are available to the physician for diagnosing and accurately quantifying disease progression. These tools can influence how therapies are applied and impact patient outcome. Radiographic methods based on x-rays are used for diagnosis (Computed Tomography) and therapy (catheterization suite). Nuclear medicine with Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) are routinely used for detecting irreversible and reversible ischemic injury. Ultrasound echocardiography is also routinely used for visualizing contractile function and quantifying blood velocities. Cardiac Magnetic Resonant Imaging allows for a one-stop-shop evaluation of the cardiovascular system including function, tissue perfusion and viability and well as edema visualization, extracellular volume imaging, iron overload, etc. The emergence of new technologies for acquiring data with existing techniques, such as sparse undersampling, and radically new approaches, such as Optical Coherence Tomography and Near Infrared Spectroscopy, open uncharted domains and promise even better diagnostics in the future.