Dr. Graham Wright visited iHEALTH to present advances in the use of MRI for cardiac ablations.

The academic from the University of Toronto visited the iHEALTH community to share the results of his latest research in biomedical engineering, in the Edificio de Innovación UC, located on the San Joaquín Campus of the Universidad Católica de Chile.

During the afternoon of Friday, January 5, Dr. Graham Wright, Scientific Advisory board of iHEALTH, presented the results of his latest research on the use of MRI in ablations to treat cardiac arrhythmias. The University of Toronto academic shared with the iHEALTH community his advances in the use of Deep Learning to improve the quality of images obtained by magnetic resonance imaging to detect lesions generated in the heart tissue.

Cardiac ablation is a technique that consists of generating small scars in the heart tissue to prevent the generation of arrhythmias. This procedure can be performed by using thermal energy from the use of radio frequencies to eliminate the problem area. In this case, magnetic resonance images are useful to monitor the operation in real time, although this has some difficulties to resolve, such as the quality of the images obtained, which do not allow the site of the scar to be precisely distinguished.

The research that Dr. Wright has carried out together with his team has allowed us to improve the characterization of the lesions generated in ablation through the use of real-time MRI, with more precise monitoring and allowing evaluation during the procedure thanks to the use of artificial intelligence. However, the current challenge requires continued technical developments including integrated image tracking, and AI-based rapid reconstruction/registration.

The activity, which closes the cycle of seminars held by iHEALTH, seeks to continually contribute to the academic development of its students and new researchers by presenting the latest advances in the area developed by exhibitors, both national and international.