Sonic DL enables acquisition of cine images in a heartbeat at St Mary’s Hospital

Last updated Oct 3, 2024

St Mary’s Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, has four GE HealthCare MRI systems in its acute department, which accommodate a range of diagnostic examinations including cardiac MRI.

In 2022, GE HealthCare introduced AIR Recon DL, an image reconstruction methodology integrated with deep learning. St Mary’s was one of the first London NHS sites to be upgraded with this reconstruction capability and afterwards it saw a measurable increase in patient capacity due to shorter scan times.

In January 2024, St Mary’s became the first UK site to install the latest AI for cardiac imaging, Sonic DL. Similar to AIR Recon DL, Sonic DL uses the neural network to generate images from highly under-sampled data, enabling the higher acceleration factors to significantly reduce scan times further.

MRI modality lead Candace Truskinger said: “Cardiac MRI can be challenging as there are many factors that lead to repeated sequences due to motion artefacts. Sonic DL has facilitated a paradigm shift in addressing these challenges, the ability to acquire cine images in a single heartbeat ideal for arrhythmia patients, and free breathing capabilities for paediatric and uncooperative patients. In instances where breath-holding proves unfeasible, free breathing cine acquisitions can be seamlessly executed, yielding diagnostically robust images as shown in the example.

Clinical images — Chamber vertical long axis view cine gradient echo demonstrating a significant improvement in signal-to-noise, temporal resolution and length of breath-hold between the (A) old protocol 1 R-R, 14 second breath-hold, (B) Sonic DL optimised protocol 1 R-R two second breath-hold and (C) Sonic DL optimised protocol 6 R-R eight second breath-hold.

“Prior to the implemen-tation of the Sonic DL upgrade, the MRI department’s capacity for cardiac imaging was ring-fenced at 22 patients a month. Previously, all cardiac appointments were 90 minutes, however, post upgrade, routine cardiac scans are now scheduled within 60-minute appointment slots. This adjustment translates to a 50 per cent increase in routine cardiac imaging capacity.”

Lead picture: MRI modality lead Candace Truskinger.

Published on page 19 of the August 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.