Significant advances in technology have now provided plenty of methods to view the heart in a non-invasive manner (multi-modality imaging). Cardiac imaging is unique in a sense that it is both a subspecialty of diagnostic Radiology and Cardiology. This creates opportunities for Cardiologists and Radiologists to work very closely together. Attention to detail and meticulousness are key traits of a Cardiac Imaging specialist.
Cardiac imaging involves acquiring high quality medical images of the moving heart and then accurately interpreting the images to help make a diagnosis of a particular heart condition. The images can be acquired via ultrasound, X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or nuclear medicine scanning. With the exception of arrhythmias, almost every heart disease can be diagnosed with the help of cardiac imaging. These can include ischaemic heart disease, narrowed or leaky heart valves and defects in the size and function of the heart.
A lot of the cardiovascular research conducted at UHCW involves some form of cardiac imaging hence the close collaboration with other subspecialties of Cardiology. One of the important research areas of interest is the study of the toxic effects of chemotherapy agents (anti-cancer drugs) on the heart (also known as cardiotoxicity).