Heart valves and annuloplasty rings, including their use in combination with stenting systems (i.e. for TAVI, TAVR and PAVR procedures)

Information for patients

If you are a patient reading this and have a concern about an MRI scan you are scheduled to attend, we strongly recommend you contact the site where your scan is due to take place, you may also wish to refer to our ‘Information for Patients’ section. Please note local variations to the policies detailed on this website may apply, therefore please contact the hospital where your appointment is scheduled for clarification.

Disclaimer (MUST READ)

The MRI safety information contained within this webpage is intended for use by staff from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) and associated health boards, namely: NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders, NHS Dumfries & Galloway, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Golden Jubilee, and NHS Lanarkshire. Only staff from these health boards are approved to use this information and local variations to the policies detailed may apply.  Non-approved users i.e. patients and staff from health boards other than those listed above, or staff from private medical organisations use this information at their own risk. We, NHS GGC, accept no responsibility for patient injury or adverse outcomes that may occur as a consequence of the information contained herein. If you have any questions regarding this disclaimer, please contact the NHS GGC MRI physics team on: ggc.MRSafetyExpert@nhs.scot​.

MRI Generic Implant Safety Policy (GISP) for heart valves and annuloplasty rings, including their use in combination with stenting systems (i.e. for TAVI, TAVR and PAVR procedures)

Brief implant description:

• Used to repair or replace heart valves. Can be used in combination with a stent system (procedure known as TAVR, PAVR or TAVI).
• Constructed from bio-materials (e.g. porcine or bovine tissue), polyesters or metals (common metals include titanium, nitinol or pyrolytic carbon).

What the policy covers:

• Commercial artificial heart valves and annuloplasty rings, where the specific make and model of the implant is not available.
• Valid for scanning at 1.5 and 3T (all vendors) in the normal mode of operation.
• Valid for all implants where the implant is inserted correctly.
• Valid for situations where a stent system is also incorporated (e.g. TAVR, PAVR, TAVI).
• Valid for MR scanning activity immediately post-implantation.
• Valid for all implants irrespective of year of implantation or implantation centre location.

What this policy does not cover, including notable exceptions:

• Not valid for scanning outside the normal mode of operation.
• Not valid for implants that are not inserted correctly.
• Not valid for implants other than heart valves and annuloplasty rings.

Important supporting documentation:

• The risk assessment to accompany this policy can be found by clicking here
• The detailed scientific review underpinning this policy statement and risk assessment can be found by clicking here

MR safety, advice summary:

Acknowledgement

This policy was created by members of the MRI subgroup of the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering (MPCE) network for NHS Scotland in collaboration with the Scottish MR radiographer leads group.