Advanced Imaging in Cardiac Electrophysiology & Heart Failure
The Advanced Imaging in Cardiac Electrophysiology & Heart Failure (AICE&HF) program integrates recent advances in cardiac imaging into caring for patients with, or at risk of, heart rhythm disorders.
Providing state-of-the-art clinical care, the Advanced Imaging program is also engaged in research aimed at developing new or better applications of cardiac imaging techniques.
Advanced cardiac imaging techniques utilized by team members include:
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- cardiac computed tomography (CT)
- positron emission tomography (PET)
- single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
- echocardiography
- 3-D body surface electrocardiographic mapping
- 3-D electroanatomic mapping (EAM)
Patients for whom these imaging techniques might be utilized include:
- Patients with heart failure
- Patients with or in need of cardiac implantable electronic devices, such as
- pacemakers
- implantable cardioverter defibrillators
- cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators
- Patients referred for catheter ablation or medical management of
- ventricular tachycardia
- premature ventricular contractions
- supraventricular tachycardia
- atrial fibrillation
- atrial flutter
- other arrhythmias
To learn more about the AICE & HF program, contact Dr. Kenneth Bilchick.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for scar, strain imaging, and coronary venous anatomy in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy
- Cardiac MRI for assessment of arrhythmias and survival in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCMR)
- Cardiac MRI and noncardiac MRI for patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators and pacemakers
- Cardiac MRI for assessment of ischemia, perfusion, and myocardial viability
- Cardiac MRI for right ventricular imaging of function and fibrosis for patients with heart failure and pulmonary hypertension in conjunction with pulmonary artery pressure monitoring
- Cardiac computed tomography (CT) scan for left atrial appendage evaluation in patients with atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, including those undergoing catheter ablation
- Body surface electrical mapping with the ECVUE Mapping System in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
- Body surface electrical mapping with the ECVUE Mapping System in CRT
- Cardiac MRI for scar evaluation in patients undergoing catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia with the application of the wideband sequence for late gadolinium enhancement
- Acquisition and installation of new MRI pulse sequences for cardiac imaging through sequence-sharing programs
- PET fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) imaging for identification of inflammation and scarring in cardiac sarcoidosis, including patients at risk for arrhythmias
- Assessment of cardiac viability and risk of arrhythmias using SPECT and PET
- Use of I-123 MIBG to assess myocardial sympathetic innervation
- Technetium pyrophosphate scan to identify cardiac amyloid subtypes

Fred Epstein
Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering
Professor of Radiology

John D. Ferguson, MD, ChB, MB, MBChB
Associate Professor Medicine/Cardiology

Jeff Holmes
Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Jamie L. W. Kennedy, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Christopher M. Kramer, MD
Ruth C. Heede, Professor of Cardiology
Professor of Radiology and Medical Imaging
Director, Cardiovascular Imaging Center

Pat Norton, MD
Associate Professor, Dept. of Radiology
- Multicenter: Adaptive Response CRT
- Multicenter: Multipoint CRT Pacing
- UVA: PVC Mapping
- UVA: MRI IN CRT
- UVA: ECVUE Body Surface Mapping in CRT, Atrial Flutter, Atrial Fibrillation, and IST