USCUH Cardiology Services
How MRI Works
3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
News - New use of 3T MRI sees Women's heart disease - HSC Weekly
Special Clinical Programs


The Cardiovascular Department at USC University Hospital includes a large ambulatory practice and several invasive and non-invasive procedure laboratories, including cardiac catheterization, echocardiography, electrocardiography and arrhythmia, exercise testing/nuclear cardiology, cardiac MRI, and the Cardiovascular Health and Lipid Center. This Department provides care for patients admitted for diagnostic work-ups and/or management of acute and chronic cardiac diseases.

Vascular disease can be a silent killer. Forty-one percent of deaths in the United States each year are attributable to the complications of vascular disease. These silent killers include strokes, ruptured aneurysms and heart attacks. A vascular screening examination is one of the best tests available for early detection of these diseases.

USCUH Cardiology Services Include: 

• Pacemakers — Implant studies, ablation
• Electrophysiology
• Maternal cardiology
• Heart failure treatment
• Valvular cardiology
• Interventional cardiology — Angioplasty, laserplasty, athrectomy, stents, balloon valvuloplasty Cardiac catheterization
• Noninvasive testing — Echocardiography, stress testing
• Nuclear cardiology — Exercise stress testing, pharmacological stress testing, 3T MRI
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) available in the Healthcare Consultation Center

How MRI Works 

A strong, steady magnetic field causes the protons in the body to "line up" and spin in the same direction. A radio frequency (RF) signal is beamed into the magnetic field. The signal makes the protons move out of alignment — similar to what happens to a spinning top when someone hits it. When the signal stops, the protons move back to their aligned position and release. A receiver coil measures the energy released by the disturbed protons. This energy is used by a computer to construct an image that appears on a computer screen. The screen image can then be recorded on film or magnetic tape to make a permanent copy.

3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 

USC University Hospital is particularly proud of its innovative program in high-field cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. While many cardiac centers use lower-field imaging devices, our hospital has invested in devices capable of high-field diagnostic studies. With this novel technology, the heart may be captured in three-dimensions with amazing clarity.

Our two new 3T MRI systems produce optimal-resolution images of the heart muscle, the structure of the heart (for congenital and valvular heart disease detection), and the coronary arteries. They also allow us to observe scarred heart muscle, blood flow through the muscle of the heart, and heart muscle metabolism to detect and study inadequate blood flow to the heart. CMR additionally allows for clinical visualization of the peripheral and renal arterial systems as well as the carotid arteries. With CMR, conditions such as aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections may be detected at their earliest phases, and the presence and extent of pulmonary hypertension may be reliably determined.


Frequently Asked Questions:

What does the "T" in 3T MRI stand for? 
Will the 3T MRI detect a blockage?
Is this in the experimental stages?
What exactly does the 3T MRI do?
Can MRI replace the CT scan?
Is the 3T MRI free?
Can I pay cash for this procedure if I do not have health insurance?
Does this system detect small vein blockage?
If I am coming from out of state can I have the consultation and 3T MRI scan on the same day?
How long does the imaging last?
Is the quality of the imaging better to see than the CT scan or the angiogram?
I have a pacemaker; can I have the 3T MRI? 

What does the "T" in 3T MRI stand for?
T stands for "Tesla" a unit that indicates the strength of the magnetic field. Widely available MRI systems have a field strength of 1.5 Tesla. The newest systems are 3T, twice the magnetic field compared with the common MRI systems.

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Will the 3T MRI detect a blockage?
The 3T MRI can sometimes detect blockage in the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply blood to the heart). Blockages may be routinely detected in the larger blood vessels, such as the arteries to the brain, kidneys or legs.

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Is this in the experimental stages?
The procedure used is called myocardial perfusion imaging. It detects the blood supply to the heart muscle (myocardium). This type of imaging has been used in association with the injection of radioisotopes such as thallium or technetium (thallium or technetium) scanning. Several studies have demonstrated that this type of scanning used with MRI can detect abnormalities of blood supply to heart muscle in women with chest pain that is not demonstrable with radioisotopes. The procedure with MRI might still be considered research.

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What exactly does the 3T MRI do?
3T MRI is useful for general MRI imaging of any organ. Regarding the heart, it demonstrates the blood supply and distribution, the presence of heart muscle scarring, the contraction ability of the heart, the coronary arteries and the metabolism in heart muscle. 3T MRI is generally superior to MRI at lower magnetic fields. When MRI scanning is performed with cold pressor testing (when the hand is dipped into a bucket of ice water) or during the infusion of a drug, adenosine, that normally causes the smaller arteries in the heart to dilate with an increase in blood supply to the heart, the IV injection of the MRI contrast agent gadolinium traces the blood supply to the heart muscle. In patients with disease of the coronary arteries, the blood supply is found to be limited. This is the case with coronary artery disease involving the large vessels or with coronary artery disease involving the small coronary arteries, i.e., those that cannot be seen even by coronary angiography performed during cardiac catheterization.

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Can MRI replace the CT scan?
CT scanning of the heart can depict the coronary arteries with the administration of relatively large doses of x-ray contrast agents that can have a detrimental effect on the kidneys. MRI, especially at 3T can also depict the coronary arteries, albeit not yet as well as CT.

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Is the 3T MRI free?
No. 3T MRI is the same price as standard MRI at the present time.

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Can I pay cash for this procedure if I do not have health insurance?
Once you have a consultation, the physician’s office will work with the hospital’s financial counselor to secure a quote for the services your physician prescribes. You can pay cash for those services on the day your services are rendered.

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Does this system detect small vein blockage?
The 3T MRI shows blockages involving the very small coronary arteries using perfusion imaging.

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If I am coming from out of state can I have the consultation and 3T MRI scan on the same day?
Yes.

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How long does the imaging last?
The imaging takes less than one hour.

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Is the quality of the imaging better to see than the CT scan or the angiogram?
MRI uniquely depicts the blood flow abnormalities to the heart muscle consistent with small vessel coronary artery disease.

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I have a pacemaker; can I have the 3T MRI?
There is a risk in performing MRI in a patient with a pacemaker. It may be performed if it is essential for life threatening disease.

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Related Links: New use of 3T MRI sees women’s heart disease - HSC Weekly

Special Clinical Programs


Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Interventional Cardiology Program
Electrophysiology Program
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and Transplant Program
Preventive Cardiology Program
Pacemaker Center
Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program
To Schedule an Appointment

• Pulmonary Hypertension Program
  USC University Hospital and the USC Division of Cardiology have developed a pulmonary hypertension program for the evaluation and treatment of patients with primary and secondary forms of pulmonary hypertension. The program includes advanced invasive and noninvasive testing for pulmonary hypertension as well as treatment using intravenous prostacyclin therapy * FLOLAN. Protocols for treatment with experimental agents are available through the Pulmonary Hypertension program for patients meeting protocol entry criteria. The program has a pulmonary hypertension nurse coordinator to help with referrals, transfers, patient education and support and initiation of therapy. Patients started on FLOLAN at USC University Hospital undergo care, evaluation and teaching to promote successful therapy with this potentially life saving but difficult drug. A social worker with expertise in problems related to pulmonary hypertension is part of the team and helps with issues of support, access to care and resources. Access to and evaluation for lung and heart/lung transplantation in collaboration with the Transplant program is also available.

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• Interventional Cardiology Program
  Angioplasty has become one of the most common forms of myocardial revascularization in the United States, with approximately 447,000 angioplasties performed per year. The Interventional Cardiology Program at the University of Southern California is staffed with experienced interventionalists and has a well equipped, modern Interventional cardiac catheterization laboratory with a support team that can manage many different types of patients requiring interventional procedures. The program offers balloon angioplasty for complex coronary anatomy and new interventional devices, including Rotoblator, DCA, TEC atherectomy, laser angioplasty, and stent placement. In addition, new therapies for the prevention of restenosis, including local radiation therapy and local drug administration, are available. Experience in balloon valvuloplasty for aortic stenosis, pulmonic stenosis, mitral stenosis, and coarctation of the aorta are also available to patients.

• Electrophysiology Program
  Sudden cardiac death remains the major cause of death from cardiovascular disease in the United States. It is felt to be due to uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias, often in the setting of acute myocardial infarction or due to abnormalities of electrical conduction. With the availability of electrophysiological mapping and program stimulation, abnormalities of both atrial and ventricular conduction and arrhythmias can be evaluated through invasive techniques. Currently developed ablation techniques are now able to treat abnormal conduction pathway problems, such as Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW), and recently atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation have also been successfully treated by ablation. In addition, the program can treat appropriate patients with pharmacological therapy or placement of an automatic implantable cardioverter/defibrillator (AICD) without the need for cardiac surgery. The program is supported by a full-time teaching faculty, nurses, and technicians experienced in electrophysiological problems.

• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and Transplant Program
  Congestive heart failure is a major cause of death from cardiovascular disease, often as a result of longstanding hypertension or significant coronary artery disease. The CHF and Transplant Program involves Cardiology, Transplant Cardiology, and Cardiac Surgery, which provide a spectrum of care from diagnosis to management of congestive heart failure, institution of drug therapies, pre-transplant evaluation, cardiac transplantation, and post-cardiac transplantation management. The program is staffed by full-time faculty who specialize in these areas and by nurses, physician assistants, and technicians that provide a comprehensive evaluation and therapy. 

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• Preventive Cardiology Program
  This program incorporates the services of the Lipid Clinic, which evaluates patients who have special needs in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. However, the program also provides primary screening for patients without known heart disease to determine if significant risk factors for atherosclerosis are present. Patients are offered the opportunity to enter into a continual monitoring program that involves lipid lowering, control of hypertension, cigarette smoking cessation, exercise training, and counseling. The Center utilizes a uniquely developed measurement of atherosclerosis that has been developed by the USC Atherosclerosis Research Institute. It involves the measurement of the thickness of the carotid artery by B-mode ultrasound and has been found to be exquisitely sensitive to changes in the degree of atherosclerosis and its regression. Using this uniquely developed technique, along with careful dietary monitoring, significant regression has been documented in research studies done at USC. 

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• Pacemaker Center
  USC has a long tradition of treating patients who require cardiac pacing. The Pacemaker Center's staff evaluate patients in need of cardiac pacing, provide advanced pacemaker technology, and a comprehensive, long-term telemetry monitoring program. 

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• Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program
  With improved surgical therapy for children with congenital heart disease, an increasing percentage of these patients have now grown to adulthood. These patients pose a distinctive problem because of the combination of adult congenital heart problems and other adult diseases. This special, cooperative program with Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, combines the expertise of adult cardiology with that of pediatric cardiology to specifically address the needs of this unique patient group.

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• To Schedule an Appointment

For more information about any of our services, or to make an appointment, please call us at 1-888-700-5700. We look foward to hearing from you.

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