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UT Southwestern Medical Center is a nationally recognized leader in the development and use of advanced cardiovascular imaging techniques to diagnose and aid in the treatment of heart disease. These include rapid cardiac MRI, an advanced diagnostic technology developed at UT Southwestern, which uses modified MRI systems to provide moving pictures of the beating heart. Nuclear Imaging and Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) is a cardiac imaging technology also pioneered at UT Southwestern that is used to monitor blood supply to the heart using three-dimensional images.

Other cardiovascular imaging  techniques include:

1. Cardiac catheterization – a cardiologist painlessly places a thin flexible tube (catheter) inside the heart for diagnostic examination and treatment. Cardiac catheters also may be used to administer a drug or to unblock narrowed coronary arteries with balloon angioplasty or stents.

2. Computed tomography (CT) combines X-rays and computer technology so that a radiological specialist can deliver detailed, cross-sectional views of internal organs and structures, including the heart and surrounding arteries. Coronary CT angiography uses contrasting dyes to deliver even greater detail about the heart and related arteries.

3. Echocardiography is a diagnostic method using ultrasound that a sonographer will use to record and monitor the heart's function and the action of its valves. The echocardiogram is a noninvasive procedure that provides images of the heart’s valves and chambers, and can be used to determine the presence of disease as well as measure the effectiveness of treatments.

4. Electrophysiology (EP) is a technology that a cardiologist will use to diagnose and treat abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, through the placement of electrodes inside the heart. An EP examination records the electrical activity of the heart and can be used to explore rhythm abnormalities and determine and administer effective treatments.

5. MRI uses powerful magnets (as opposed to radiation such as X-rays) so that a radiological specialist can deliver detailed images of the heart and surrounding vessels.

6. Positron emission tomography (PET) uses radioactive dyes so that a radiological specialist can create detailed three-dimensional images of the heart; PET can also be used to monitor blood flow as well as assess the heart’s condition.

For more information, please visit the Health Library.