Gusso S, Salvador C, Hofman P, Cutfield W, Baldi JC, Taberner A, Nielsen P. Design and testing of an MRI-compatible cycle ergometer for non-invasive cardiac assessments during exercise.
Biomed Eng Online 2012;
11:13. [PMID:
22423637 PMCID:
PMC3334686 DOI:
10.1186/1475-925x-11-13]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2011] [Accepted: 03/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important tool for cardiac research, and it is frequently used for resting cardiac assessments. However, research into non-pharmacological stress cardiac evaluation is limited.
Methods
We aimed to design a portable and relatively inexpensive MRI cycle ergometer capable of continuously measuring pedalling workload while patients exercise to maintain target heart rates.
Results
We constructed and tested an MRI-compatible cycle ergometer for a 1.5 T MRI scanner. Resting and sub-maximal exercise images (at 110 beats per minute) were successfully obtained in 8 healthy adults.
Conclusions
The MRI-compatible cycle ergometer constructed by our research group enabled cardiac assessments at fixed heart rates, while continuously recording power output by directly measuring pedal force and crank rotation.
Collapse