British researchers have found a way to conduct MRI scans of patients undergoing kidney dialysis, it has been announced.
The Nottingham University project is seeking to study the effect of dialysis on the heart.
The researchers say their first aim was to establish whether standard haemodialysis or hemodiafiltration is safer for the heart.
Reductions in blood pressure and blood flow are thought to underlie the long-term damage to the heart that patients can suffer.
However the first stage of the research found no difference in cardiovascular effects between the two treatments. 12 patients took part in this study.
The researchers were able to measure how much blood was pumped during dialysis and the contraction of heart muscles together with myocardial perfusion.
To undertake the study, metal needles were replaced with silicone ones.
The findings have been published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Professor Sue Francis, professor of physics, said: “This is the first time that MRI has been used to look at heart function while the kidney patient is actually undergoing dialysis.
"There were several hurdles to overcome to achieve this. We had to set up a dialysis machine in our MRI research centre, change the metal needles that go into the patient to non-magnetic silicone ones, extend and insulate the lines that connect the patient to the dialysis machine and position the equipment using our knowledge of the magnetic fields in the MRI unit.“
Nephrologist Professor Maarten Tal said: “Interestingly, we found all measures of systolic contractile function fell during both standard haemodialysis and haemodiafiltration with partial recovery after dialysis. All patients showed some degree of left ventricular dysfunction and blood flow to the small capillaries in the heart muscle decreased significantly during both types of treatment.
"Our observations confirm the need for interventions to reduce the negative impact of dialysis on the heart.”
Intradialytic Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Assess Cardiovascular Responses in a Short-Term Trial of Hemodiafiltration and Hemodialysis. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology November 2016
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