Impact of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Endothelial Function in Type 2 Diabetes

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a widely used and well-established noninvasive medical diagnostic imaging tool. By using a static and a gradient magnetic field in combination with a radiofrequency field (RF), MR provides excellent contrast among different tissues of the body. Although long-term effects on human health from exposure to strong static magnetic fields seem unlikely, acute effects such as vertigo, nausea, change in blood pressure, reversible arrhythmia, and neurobehavioural effects have been documented from occupational exposition to 1.5 T. Cardiac MR (CMR) imaging requires some of the strongest and fastest switching electromagnetic gradients available in MR exposing the patients to the highest administered energy levels accepted by the controlling authorities. Studies focusing on experimental teratogenic or carcinogenic effects of MR revealed conflicting results. Since CMR is emerging as one of the fastest growing new fields of broad MR application, it is of particular concern that a recent in vitro study with CMR sequences has reported on CMR-induced DNA damages in white blood cells up to 24 h after exposure to 1.5 T CMR. Therefore, we hypothesized that CMR can induce the damage of endothelium and endothelial progenitor cells in type 2 diabetes