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AzTrials

CADNCT03331380

Technical Development of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) Using a Low Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) Scanner System

A study testing MRI scan - obj 1, MRI scans - obj 2 and MRI scans - obj 3 in people with CAD, run by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Background: Researchers are testing version of a system known as a magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) scanner that uses strong magnetic fields, radio waves and the like to create images of the organs in the body. It uses lower energy levels than other MRI scanners. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 100 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
CAD
What is being tested?
MRI scan - obj 1, MRI scans - obj 2 and MRI scans - obj 3
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
2,950 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
5 Jan 2018to 31 May 2028
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 100 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Inclusion Criteria for All Participants (Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4)
  • Men and women age greater than or equal to 18 years
  • Able to provide informed consent in writing
  • Willingness to cooperate with all study procedures (including food restriction) and available for scheduled study events
  • Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Volunteers (Objectives 1 and 2)
  • -Currently healthy, self-reported
Show all 65Show fewer
  • Inclusion Criteria for Subjects with Heart Disease (Objective 3)
  • Subjects having known heart disease including but not limited to
  • Stable angina pectoris due to epicardial coronary artery obstruction
  • Past myocardial infarction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
  • Valvular heart disease
  • Pulmonary artery hypertension
  • Congenital heart disease with or without prior repair
  • Myocarditis
  • Infiltrative cardiomyopathy
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • Inclusion Criteria for Subjects with Non-Cardiac Disease (Objective 4)
  • Having known brain disease including but not limited to:
  • Transient ischemic attack or stroke after 24 hours of onset
  • Infection, inflammation meningitis
  • Cognitive decline, neurodegenerative disorders
  • Demyelinating disease, multiple sclerosis
  • Loss of consciousness, seizures, epilepsy
  • Brain tumor, metastases, abscess, lesion
  • Vascular pathology
  • Headache
  • Hemorrhage
  • Trauma
  • Have known musculoskeletal disease including but not limited to:
  • Persistent neck pain or radiculopathy
  • Cancer or tumors of the spine
  • Congenital abnormalities of the spinal cord or knee
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Injury or trauma
  • Fracture evaluation
  • Infectious or inflammatory processes
  • Soft tissue damage
  • Muscle or tendon disorders
  • Knee meniscal disorders
  • Marrow abnormalities
  • Mechanical knee symptoms
  • Vascular conditions
  • Have known abdominal diseases including but not limited to:
  • Bowel obstruction
  • Masses and tumors
  • Crohns disease
  • Diffuse liver disease such as hemochromatosis, hemosiderosis, fatty infiltration
  • Focal hepatic lesions
  • Cirrhotic liver
  • Iron content determination
  • Cystic kidney disease
  • Vascular abnormalities
  • Have known lung disease including but not limited to:
  • Cancer, tumors and masses
  • Vascular and lymphatic abnormalities
  • Pulmonary thromboembolic disease
  • Trauma
  • Suspected bronchiolitis
  • Bronchiectasis or pneumonitis
  • Asthma and other obstructive lung diseases
  • Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis
  • Cystic and interstitial lung diseases such as pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis and cystic fibrosis
  • Have other known non-cardiovascular disease
  • Only subjects who use bronchodilators routinely or those have undergone previous pulmonary function testing with bronchodilators will be invited to undergo bronchodilator testing during MRI.

Who cannot join

  • Conditions that are thought to make MRI unsafe (that will be determined by filling out a separate form) including:
  • Cerebral aneurysm clip unless it is labeled safe for MRI
  • Neural stimulator (e.g. TENS-Unit) unless it is labeled safe for MRI
  • Any type of ear implant unless it is labeled safe for MRI
  • Ocular foreign body (e.g. metal shavings)
  • Metal shrapnel or bullet
Show all 47Show fewer
  • Any implanted device (e.g. insulin pump, drug infusion device), unless it is labeled safe for MRI
  • Pregnancy. When uncertain, subjects will undergo either urine or serum pregnancy testing. Results from up to 3 days prior to the examination will be used. Post-menopausal and surgically sterilized subjects are exempt from this testing.
  • If a urine or serum pregnancy test was administered as part of a referral protocol, and the test was administered up to 3 days prior to MRI examination for this protocol, a new pregnancy test will not be required for this protocol.
  • If a pregnancy test has not been administered within 3 days of MRI examination for this protocol, a serum or urine pregnancy test will be administered. Medical personnel will determine which pregnancy test is appropriate based on subject s medical history, screening, and individual scenario. In addition, the subject will be asked if she may be pregnant prior to the performance of the MRI, even if the pregnancy test was negative within the past week. The pregnancy test will be repeated if she answers in the affirmative.
  • -When gadolinium based contrast agent (GBCA) exposure is planned
  • Objective 1 and 2, Healthy Volunteers: No gadolinium based contrast agent exposure is permitted if eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m^(2) using the CKD-EPI equation or equivalent and a serum creatinine measured within 2 weeks without intercurrent change in medical condition or medications.
  • Objective 3 and 4, Volunteers with Cardiac and Non-Cardiac Disease: No gadolinium based contrast agent exposure is permitted if eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73m^(2) using the CKDEPI equation [25] or equivalent and a serum creatinine measured within 2 weeks without
  • intercurrent change in medical condition or medications.
  • --For all objectives not more than two research MRI exams with GBCA exposure in a 12 month period. Research MRI exams performed outside of this protocol will be included in the 12 month period.
  • Subjects meeting this exclusion criterion, or without eGFR determination, may still be included in the study but may not be exposed to gadolinium-based contrast agents
  • Breast feeding (unless subject is willing to discard breast milk for 24 hours)
  • Does not wish to be exposed to gadolinium.
  • Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease defined as requiring more than one bronchodilator medication every day or continuous oxygen requiring
  • Prior treatment with bleomycin
  • A history of allergic reaction to any intravenous iron product
  • Allergy to ferumoxytol or to mannitol excipient
  • Breast feeding
  • Does not wish to be exposed to ferumoxytol
  • Iron overload
  • A history of reaction to oral contrast (if using barium sulfate)
  • Breast feeding unless subject is willing to discard breast milk for 24 hours (if using barium sulfate)
  • Allergy to pineapple (if using pineapple juice)
  • Does not wish to be exposed to oral contrast
  • Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Volunteers (Objectives 1 and 2)
  • -Important past medical illness
  • Exclusion Criteria for Adults with heart Disease (Objective 3)
  • Unstable angina, acute coronary syndrome, or myocardial infarction not attributable to PCI, within 2 weeks unless after coronary revascularization of the culprit lesion.
  • Any hemodynamic instability or decompensated heart failure as determined by the enrolling physician.
  • Adenosine: Patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of any severity are ineligible for vasodilator stress CMR with adenosine.
  • Regadenoson: Only patients with severe or uncontrolled asthma or severe or uncontrolled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are ineligible for vasodilator stress CMR with regadenoson. This will be determined at the discretion of the supervising provider based on medical records and physical exam.
  • Patients with advanced heart block on baseline ECG are ineligible for vasodilator stress CMR
  • Exclusion Criteria for Adults with Non-Cardiac Disease (Objective 4)
  • Acute illness for which investigational imaging might delay care (such as acute stroke before treatment), as determined by the enrolling physician
  • Any hemodynamic instability as determined by the enrolling physician.
  • Patient refuses bronchodilator administration.
  • Exclusion criteria for adults with cardiac implanted electronic devices (CIED, pacemakers or defibrillators:
  • Low-SAR MRI:
  • Subjects with MRI-conditional and legacy CIEDs are not excluded, based on the intrinsic safety of low-SAR MRI.
  • Subjects with CIEDs are excluded if they have pacemakers implanted before 1998; ICDs implanted before 2000; temporary, epicardial or abandoned leads; and CIEDs implanted <4 weeks prior to MRI exam.
  • Conventional MRI:
  • -Subjects with CIED are excluded from conventional MRI unless they have CIEDs that are labeled as MRI conditional or MRI safe, and that are implanted greater than or equal to 4 weeks prior to MRI.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Anastasia Tsakirellis, C.R.N.P. contact

(301) 921-6986

anastasia.tsakirellis@nih.gov

Marcus Y Chen, M.D. contact

(301) 496-0077

chenmy@mail.nih.gov

United States1 site, 1 recruiting

  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

    For more information at the NIH Clinical Center contact Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR), 800-411-1222 ext. TTY8664111010, prpl@cc.nih.gov

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Background:

Researchers are testing version of a system known as a magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) scanner that uses strong magnetic fields, radio waves and the like to create images of the organs in the body. It uses lower energy levels than other MRI scanners. This may help scan people with metal devices in their body, or in invasive heart procedures using metal tools.

Read more

Objective:

To test a new MRI scanner and software changes to create better pictures.

Eligibility:

People with disease and healthy volunteers, ages 18 and older.

Design:

Participants will be screened with blood tests.

Participants may have both the new MRI and a conventional MRI or only the new one. If 2 are done, they must be within 60 days.

For both MRI versions, participants lie on a table that slides into a large tube. During scans, they will hold their breath for up to 20 seconds at a time. Heart activity will be measured by wires connected to pads on the skin. A flexible belt may be used to monitor their breathing. They will be in the scanner up to 2 hours.

Participants can agree to have a dye called gadolinium injected into their arm during the scan. This brightens the pictures.

Participants can agree to take a drug called a vasodilator. This helps detect areas of the heart with abnormal blood supply. Scans of the heart are taken before, during, and after they get the medicine. The drug may cause temporary chest pain or shortness of breath. They may get other drugs to relieve these symptoms.

Sponsoring Institution: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Read the detailed description

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) provides accurate and reproducible measures of cardiac chamber volumes, cardiac function, blood flow, myocardial scar, myocardial extracellular volume as a measure of collagen content, myocardial iron content, and others, all without exposure to ionizing radiation. The prevailing wisdom is that CMR using high specific absorption rate (SAR) scanning modes produces highest image quality. We propose a method of CMR that can be performed with low SAR but that nevertheless preserves image quality because of efficient use of CMR signal. CMR using low SAR is attractive because it may reduce heating of metallic structures. This may allow safe CMR in patients with metallic implants, and it may allow MRI catheterization using metallic guidewires and catheter devices.

The goal of this non-significant risk (NSR) medical device study is to test initial technical feasibility of low SAR CMR in healthy volunteers by technical optimization of scanner protocols, to test comparative accuracy of standard CMR measurements in healthy volunteers using low SAR CMR versus conventional CMR, and to test comparative accuracy of standard CMR measurements in adult patients with known stable heart disease using low SAR CMR versus conventional CMR. A secondary goal is to assess the potential of this new low SAR CMR system to perform non-cardiovascular radiological diagnostic imaging by testing comparative diagnostic accuracy of standard MR measurements in adult patients with known non-cardiovascular disease using the low SAR CMR system vs conventional MR exam.

Conditions
CAD
Being tested
MRI scan - obj 1, MRI scans - obj 2, MRI scans - obj 3, MRI scans - obj 4
Keywords
1.5 T CMR, Low SAR CMR, Gadolinium, Regadenoson, Adenosine

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • MRI scan - obj 1Device

    For objective 1 (protocol optimization), healthy volunteers undergo imaging using an investigational low SAR CMR scanner for up to two hours, some without and some with administration of intravenous gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCAs).

  • MRI scans - obj 2Device

    For objective 2 (comparative scanning of normals), healthy volunteers undergo two CMR examinations on two different MRI scanners (investigational low SAR CMR and conventional 1.5T CMR), some without and some with administration of intravenous GBCA.

  • MRI scans - obj 3Device

    For objective 3 (comparative scanning of patients), subjects with known stable cardiovascular disease undergo two CMR examinations on two different MRI scanners (investigational low SAR CMR and conventional 1.5T CMR), some without and some with administration of intravenous GBCA.

  • MRI scans - obj 4Device

    For objective 4 (comparative scanning of patients), subjects with known or suspected disease, including neurological, musculoskeletal disease, abdominal or lung disease, will undergo two MR examinations on two different MRI scanners (investigational low SAR CMR and conventional MR).

Study groups in NCT03331380
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Group AOtherGroup A includes 600 healthy adult volunteers of both sexes with-out known cardiovascular disease
Receives: Device: MRI scan - obj 1; Device: MRI scans - obj 2
Group BOtherGroup B includes 500 adult subjects of both sexes with known sta-ble cardiovascular disease including adults with stable coronary artery disease after myocardial infarction; adults with heart failure and reduced left ventricular systolic function; adults with pulmonary artery hypertension; adults with congenital heart disease including cardiac shunts; adults with valvular heart disease including aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, and tricuspid regurgitation; and adults with metallic cardiovascular implants (such as coronary and peripheral artery stents) known to be safe for CMR at 1.5T
Receives: Device: MRI scans - obj 3
Group COtherGroup C includes 500 adult subjects of both sexes with known non-cardiovascular disease
Receives: Device: MRI scans - obj 4

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Technical feasibility and Non-inferiority of the above measurements and examinations ob-tained using low SAR CMR versus commercial CMR in healthy volun-teers and in patients with heart disease

    To determine whether the the low SAR CMR is a feasible alternative to standard CMR

    Measured: 72 months

Secondary outcomes (1)

  1. Numerous exploratory secondary endpoints are sought around the listed measurements across MRI systems and disease states

    Measured: 60 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Nov 2017
  2. Study start5 Jan 2018
  3. Primary completion31 May 2028 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 May 2028 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Diagnosis
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Factorial
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
2,950 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03331380
Sponsor's protocol ID
180011
Other IDs
18-H-0011
Status last verified
24 Sep 2026
First submitted
2 Nov 2017
Last updated
29 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes

Publications

  • Daude P, Taylor J, Plummer JW, Ramasawmy R, Tsakirellis A, Moss J, Bandettini WP, Chen M, Campbell-Washburn AE, Javed A. "Two-For-One": 4D Cardiac and Pulmonary MR Imaging From a Single Acquisition Using bSTAR. Magn Reson Med. 2026 Jul 28. doi: 10.1002/mrm.70504. Online ahead of print.

    PubMed 42521203

  • Campbell-Washburn AE, Kanth S, Thurston MD, Mancini C, O'Brien KJ, Potersnak A, Wang H, Huapaya J, Regenold D, Baute S, Javed A, Suffredini AF. A longitudinal study of quantitative pulmonary dynamic contrast enhanced MRI following COVID-19 infection. Respir Res. 2026 Mar 26;27(1):221. doi: 10.1186/s12931-026-03582-w.

    PubMed 41888852

  • Xiang J, Ramasawmy R, Seemann F, Peters DC, Campbell-Washburn AE. Balanced steady-state free precession phase contrast at 0.55T applied to aortic flow. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2024 Winter;26(2):101098. doi: 10.1016/j.jocmr.2024.101098. Epub 2024 Sep 13.

    PubMed 39278416

  • Daude P, Ramasawmy R, Javed A, Lederman RJ, Chow K, Campbell-Washburn AE. Inline automatic quality control of 2D phase-contrast flow MRI for subject-specific scan time adaptation. Magn Reson Med. 2024 Aug;92(2):751-760. doi: 10.1002/mrm.30083. Epub 2024 Mar 12.

    PubMed 38469944

  • Campbell-Washburn AE, Jiang Y, Korzdorfer G, Nittka M, Griswold MA. Feasibility of MR fingerprinting using a high-performance 0.55 T MRI system. Magn Reson Imaging. 2021 Sep;81:88-93. doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2021.06.002. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

    PubMed 34116134

  • Bandettini WP, Shanbhag SM, Mancini C, Henry JL, Lowery M, Chen MY, Xue H, Kellman P, Campbell-Washburn AE. Evaluation of Myocardial Infarction by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance at 0.55-T Compared to 1.5-T. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2021 Sep;14(9):1866-1868. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2021.02.024. Epub 2021 May 19. No abstract available.

    PubMed 34023254

  • Bandettini WP, Shanbhag SM, Mancini C, McGuirt DR, Kellman P, Xue H, Henry JL, Lowery M, Thein SL, Chen MY, Campbell-Washburn AE. A comparison of cine CMR imaging at 0.55 T and 1.5 T. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2020 May 18;22(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s12968-020-00618-y.

    PubMed 32423456

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing MRI scan - obj 1, MRI scans - obj 2 and MRI scans - obj 3 in people with CAD, run by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 65 inclusion and 47 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Anastasia Tsakirellis, C.R.N.P. ((301) 921-6986, anastasia.tsakirellis@nih.gov), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Technical feasibility and Non-inferiority of the above measurements and examinations ob-tained using low SAR CMR versus commercial CMR in healthy volun-teers and in patients with heart disease (time frame: 72 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03331380, which also lists 7 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Oct 2026.

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