2025 Stress MR III In DC: A Hands-On Workshop-Day 1 - Part I: Introduction to Stress CMR

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The transcript captures the opening session of an SCMR stress MRI course focused on both education and practical workflow. The organizers thank sponsors, grant funders, and SCMR staff, then outline Wi‑Fi access, the digital program, hands-on session assignments, and the society’s growing international reach and mentorship efforts.<br /><br />The educational talks begin with Dr. Raymond Kwong reviewing ischemia trial data and arguing that stress CMR showed stronger associations with outcomes than SPECT or stress echo, retained more patients because of fewer false positives, and may warrant a randomized trial of CMR-guided management. Dr. Mark Westwood then gives a broad overview of stress MR basics: cine function, late gadolinium enhancement, and first-pass perfusion, while emphasizing the field’s move toward faster, automated analysis and absolute perfusion quantification. Dr. Jennifer Jordan explains how to optimize perfusion sequences, including temporal and spatial resolution, slice coverage, breath-hold planning, and the differences between dual-bolus and dual-sequence quantitative methods. Dr. Andrew Arai focuses on interpretation and reporting, stressing that perfusion, scar, and function must be integrated carefully, that perfusion defects can be missed if images are reviewed too quickly, and that standardized quantitative norms and color scales are needed.<br /><br />The case session led by Dr. Jadronka Stojanowska highlights real-world challenges: microvascular dysfunction, mixed infarct/ischemia with severe coronary disease, straightforward reversible ischemia, and the importance of distinguishing true defects from artifact. Finally, Dr. Mike Salerno teaches artifact recognition, especially dark-rim artifact, and presents technically challenging cases involving amyloidosis, prior infarction, heart block during regadenoson stress, and apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.<br /><br />The session ends with a break and reminders about hands-on lab assignments.

Keywords

stress MRI

SCMR

cardiac MRI

ischemia

perfusion imaging

late gadolinium enhancement

cine function

SPECT

stress echocardiography

quantitative perfusion

dark-rim artifact

microvascular dysfunction

regadenoson stress

amyloidosis

hypertrophic cardiomyopathy