Deep Learning Technology Captures Cardiac MRI Images within Single Heartbeat

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 07 Jun 2023

Image: Sonic DL is a groundbreaking, FDA-cleared AI deep learning technology for faster MRI (Photo courtesy of GE HealthCare)

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains the gold standard for evaluating the heart's structure and function in cardiovascular disease, although its global uptake is somewhat limited, largely due to the lengthy exam durations. The present speed of MRI acquisition isn't fast enough to record the heart's contraction in real-time, necessitating numerous heartbeats and multiple breath-holds. This method is not only time-consuming and susceptible to image quality reduction, but also tiring for patients. This emphasizes the urgent need for fast, high-quality, and patient-friendly cardiac MRI imaging. To meet this demand, an advanced deep learning-based technology has been designed to significantly speed up image acquisition in MRI. This technology opens up new imaging avenues, such as capturing high-quality cardiac MRI in a single heartbeat.

GE HealthCare (Chicago, IL, USA) has launched Sonic DL for cardiac MRI, expanding its portfolio of AI-enabled solutions. Sonic DL is designed to perform scans up to 12 times faster than traditional methods, enabling rapid cardiac MR functional imaging as quickly as in a single heartbeat, thereby aligning MRI speed with physiological speed. This advancement either reduces or completely eliminates the need for repetitive patient breath-holds, making procedures simpler and broadening the group of patients who qualify for cardiac MRI to include those with arrhythmia or those who struggle to hold their breath.

Sonic DL's ability to cut down cardiac MRI scan times by as much as 83% also serves to boost productivity in radiology departments, optimizing workflows, easing backlogs, and reducing the burden on personnel. Its state-of-the-art technology tracks the beating heart with unmatched image quality and surmounts the constraints of traditional acceleration techniques. GE HealthCare has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Sonic DL.

“Sonic DL is a paradigm shift for MR enabling high-quality imaging in a single heartbeat,” said Jie Xue, President & CEO, Global MR, GE HealthCare. “It greatly expands patient access and improves diagnostic value for patients who need it the most but previously couldn’t be scanned successfully. Our industry-leading deep learning technology, AIR Recon DL, has already benefited more than 10 million patients. We expect Sonic DL to further extend the lead of GE HealthCare in leveraging AI to advance healthcare and benefit patients around the world.

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