Making every minute count in pediatric cardiac MRI
- Featuring |
- Featuring
- October 08 2026
- Duration 3: 1
Children with congenital heart defects often return for MRI follow-up throughout their lives and rely on consistent monitoring. At TUM University Hospital German Heart Centre in Munich, faster cardiac 3T MRI helps the team use its capacity more effectively, whether by scanning more patients or using the same time to gain more image detail. Together, these benefits can make a meaningful difference for a centre that performs more than 1,200 pediatric cardiac MRI examinations each year. Watch the video to see how every heartbeat counts and why every minute matters for children, families and care teams.
Efficiency without compromise. Optimized MR Scanning at TUM University Hospital, Munich, Germany
At-a-glance:
- Discover how SmartSpeed Precise with Dual AI can help shorten examination time
- See how shorter scans can make MRI easier for children
- Learn how shorter examinations can help reduce the demands of sedation and recovery
- Explore how greater efficiency can help teams scan more patients each day
Due to the new possibility of using SmartSpeed Precise to achieve significantly better resolutions, I have the advantage of better differentiating structures in congenital heart defects — and thus making diagnostics much better.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Meierhofer
TUM University Hospital German Heart Centre, Munich
A lifetime of follow-up
For children with congenital heart disease, MRI is rarely a one-time examination. They may return for regular follow-up over many years, with each scan helping care teams understand how the heart is changing and when intervention may be needed.
Using capacity where it matters most. Making time count
At TUM University Hospital German Heart Centre, SmartSpeed Precise gives the team greater flexibility in how they use scan time. Faster examinations can help them scan more patients during the day. Or, when the examination time stays the same, they can use that time to achieve greater image detail and image quality, supporting confident clinical decisions.
Value beyond the examination
For most children under five, who require sedation, a shorter examination can support a smoother recovery pathway. At TUM, children can wake as they return to the ward, reducing the need for a separate recovery room compared with general anesthesia. More importantly, clearer imaging can help clinicians make the right clinical decision at the right time.
By improving efficiency and supporting timely clinical planning, this approach may help defer interventions and, for some patients, reduce the number of procedures needed over a lifetime.
Every heart beat counts when it comes to pediatric cardiac MRI imaging
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Disclaimer
Results are specific to the institution where they were obtained and may not reflect the results achievable at other institutions. Results in other cases may vary.