Eric L. Foster1, Mihaela Jekic1,2,
Jacob A. Bender1,2, John W. Arnold3, Subha V. Raman1,4,
Orlando P. Simonetti1,5
1Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung
Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States; 2Biomedical
Engineering, The Ohio State University; 3Agricultural Technical
Institute, The Ohio State University; 4Internal Medicine, The Ohio
State University; 5Internal Medicine and Radiology, The Ohio State
University
Treadmill
exercise testing in conjunction with MRI may offer improved diagnosis of
heart disease compared to current modalities; however, traditional treadmills
can not operate safely within the MR environment. An MR compatible treadmill was developed
using hydraulic drive and elevation systems and fiber-optic data
transmission, allowing the treadmill to be positioned immediately adjacent to
the MR examination table. The
treadmill successfully passed MR safety and compatibility tests. Six healthy volunteers were exercised to
peak cardiovascular stress and transferred to the MR table. Real time cine imaging was completed within
386.4 s, meeting the AHA guideline of imaging within 60 s.