September 2026 JCMR Journal Club Webinar On-Demand-September 2026 JCMR Journal Club Webinar On-Demand

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The JCMR Journal Club introduced a study on the feasibility of real-time, in-bore exercise cardiovascular MRI using an individualized, physiology-targeted protocol. Dr. Chris Crabtree presented the work, supported by Drs. Yuchi Han and Rizwan Azmat.<br /><br />The key idea was to image the heart during actual exercise, rather than after exercise stops, because recovery physiology can differ substantially from peak exercise physiology. The team argued that fixed workloads are not ideal since the same wattage represents very different stress levels across individuals. Instead, they used relative exertion targets based on Borg perceived exertion and percent age-predicted maximal heart rate.<br /><br />Their one-visit protocol used continuous ramped supine cycling with custom adjustments, including a pedal wedge, torso stabilizing vest, and metronome-guided cadence. Highly accelerated real-time cine imaging enabled quantitative assessment while subjects continued pedaling.<br /><br />All 12 healthy volunteers and 8 patients with dyspnea completed the protocol. The study showed acceptable-to-good image quality at rest and across exercise stages, with coherent biventricular responses and increasing cardiac output. A clinical case illustrated that abnormalities could emerge only at peak exercise, not at rest.<br /><br />The discussion emphasized practicality, repeatability, and potential applications in heart failure, obesity, ischemia, and other exercise-limited conditions.

Keywords

real-time exercise MRI

cardiovascular MRI

in-bore exercise

physiology-targeted protocol

Borg perceived exertion

age-predicted heart rate

real-time cine imaging

dyspnea patients

exercise cardiac output