Our service has been established to ensure patients needing Cardiac MRI imaging are afforded the best patient journey with the only Cardiac Optimised MRI scanner in London.
Based in the Marylebone medical district, we offer cardiac MRI scans to patients from early morning to late evening from Monday to Friday (Weekend appointments are due to follow towards the end of 2024).
The Siemens Sola 1.5 Tesla Cardiovascular Edition
The Siemens Sola 1.5 Tesla Cardiovascular Edition scanner ensures the highest quality imaging with fast scanning times. Unlike other hospitals and clinics, we do not use generic scanners that are designed to service multiple specialities. Typically, these tend to have a field strength of 3 Tesla which produces unacceptable levels of artefact on cardiac images and also lengthens the time for a scan to be undertaken. Our 1.5 Tesla MRI has scanner sequences bespoked for cardiac imaging and consequently scans are clearer and faster.
Waiting times are short (typically within the same week) and appointment slots can be secured using our online booking option. All our radiographers have been formally trained to a high level and have been specifically recruited to work exclusively in cardiac MRI. Our reporting cardiologists have decades of both clinical and research experience between them having worked at high volume clinical units and published some of the most widely cited research papers in the field of cardiovascular magnetic resonance.
See Our Video Explaining More
How does MRI work and who needs a Cardiac MRI?
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is arguably the most sophisticated medical imaging technique. Remarkably detailed images of the heart can be acquired without using any ionising radiation. Unlike other cardiac imaging modalities, cardiac MRI can inform your doctors whether your heart muscle is inflamed or damaged. The ability to assess the composition of heart muscle makes cardiac MRI a versatile and invaluable tool in assessing patients with suspected myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), coronary artery disease and heart failure including inheritable heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathies)
Preparing for your Cardiac MRI
A Stress CMR is a heart scan with the addition of the drug adenosine. This mimics the effect of exercise on your heart whilst you are lying down in the scanner. Your doctor has opted for the Stress protocol for this scan as they wish to understand whether the heart is being deprived of any blood supply when under stress. If this were the case, it may suggest blockages in the coronary arteries that require treatment. This is a safe test; in rare cases, a small number of patients have experienced a reaction to the drug, but you will be carefully screened for your suitability to have the test and closely monitored throughout.
Do not eat food 4 hours prior to your appointment, and do not consume any caffeinated drinks for 24 hours prior if you are having a stress CMR. Ensure you drink plenty of water throughout the day. You should also, unless instructed otherwise by your doctor,:
Stop these medications 24 hours prior: Dipyridamole/Persantin, or Nicorandil/Ikorel, Verapamil or Diltiazem, as well as beta blockers, such as Bisoprolol.
You must inform the MRI radiography team if there is a possibility you might be pregnant, and disclose any recent or significant previous illnesses, medical conditions, and allergies. You must also inform the MRI team if you have any of the following:
Any electronic/implantable device such as a pacemaker, cochlear implants, surgical clips including neurosurgical aneurysm clips as well as metal shrapnel of foreign bodies in the eys
Please arrive 30 minutes before for registration and pre-scan checks. If you are claustrophobic, let us know in advance.
What does the scan involve and how long does it last
The MRI team will ask you to complete a medical history, safety questionnaire, and sign a consent form. We will give you gown to change into, and provide somewhere to store your clothes and personal items. Metal objects like jewellery will need to be removed. Once you lie down in the scanner and are comfortable, a cannula will be inserted in the arm to feed the drug into your vein.
During the scan, you will receive breathing instructions to hold your breath at certain times. It’s important that you remain still so that we can capture clear images. If you move, or take a breath that causes you to shift, we will need to restart the image sequencing. The scan will take 60 minutes; when the MRI team has checked the scan was successful, you can leave, and a follow-up appointment will be booked with your doctor to decide if further treatment is needed.
For Clinicians – Online Booking and Referral form
Please use the button to secure a slot for your patient’s CMR slot –
Once you have secured the scanning slot, please download and electronically fill out the referral Form. Once completed please email to info@londoncardiacimaging.com
Funding your Cardiac MRI – Private Medical Insurance and Self-Pay rates
LCI are covered by all major UK insurers as well as the larger International Insures (BUPA Global, Cigna Global, AXA Global, Aetna and Healix). Please ensure you provide us with your membership number and preauthorisation code prior to your scan.
For self-funding patients, please email us with your contact details and we can call to explain the costs of your CMR study. The cost will depend on the type of CMR scan you are having.
Contact us
London Cardiac Imaging
1st Floor
10-11 Bulstrode Place
London W1U 2HX