Health Sciences North launches cardiac MRI service

Health Sciences North says a new cardiac MRI service in Sudbury will allow patients to get tests in northeastern Ontario, whereas before patients had to travel to Ottawa or Toronto.

The cardiac MRI means doctors can get a detailed non-invasive analysis of the heart tissue, helping provide more accurate, faster treatment.

"I think it's going to make a big difference," cardiologist Dr. Andreas Kumar said.

"Cardiac MRI is now a standard imaging method within cardiology. It's something that we as cardiologists need for our daily work. It helps us to understand multiple diseases that otherwise just can not be easily diagnosed."

Kumar was one of several doctors who were recruited to Canada from Berlin 12 years ago to set up a similar program in Calgary, the first in Canada.

He calls the service "the gold standard for assessing heart function."

'Better treatment'

"So for me as a cardiologist, this is magnificent progress in the field of diagnostic imaging because it really enhances my diagnostic armamentarium and it allows me to diagnose diseases that without an MRI, would have great difficulty diagnosing," he said.

"Cardiac MRI means a more accurate diagnosis for patients, and therefore better treatment."

Depending on the need, between 10 and 12 patients get the images in Sudbury done each month. Kumar says the goal is to increase that number in the future.

"We have one Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner at the moment that we are dividing up for the different indications … between radiology and now cardiology," he said.

"The future will require a second MRI scanner in Sudbury."