A major breakthrough in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease has just been achieved by teams in Bordeaux. Thanks to the SMHEART project, supported by €1.5 million in European funding, SPOT technology uses artificial intelligence to transform cardiac imaging. Published in the prestigious journal Nature, this innovation now makes it possible to detect and quantify myocardial scarring with unparalleled accuracy and speed.
The challenge of diagnosing myocardial scars
Cardiac MRI is currently the gold standard for assessing heart damage, particularly after a heart attack. However, approximately 15% of patients have insufficient contrast between the blood and the scar tissue, which limits the accuracy of manual diagnosis. This human analysis can be laborious and varies depending on the expert.
SPOT technology: cardiac imaging ‘in colour’
Developed by teams at the IHU Liryc, Bordeaux University Hospital and the University of Bordeaux, SPOT technology represents a technological breakthrough:
- Enhanced contrast: By manipulating MRI physics, SPOT provides unprecedented detailed anatomical visualisation.
- AI analysis: An artificial intelligence algorithm automatically analyses and quantifies lesions in less than a minute.
- Reliability: The system is operator-independent, ensuring objective and reproducible measurements.
Clinical validation on more than 500 patients
The platform has been successfully tested in over 500 patients suffering from structural heart disease. This work, coordinated by Professor Aurélien Bustin and Professor Hubert Cochet, has been published in the journal Nature.
What impact does this have on patients with heart disease?
This technology is expected to transform the management of ischaemic heart disease by enabling earlier diagnosis and better assessment of the risk of sudden death.