Chest Leads in MRI, Use in MRI, Function, Special Points in MRI.

Chest Leads in MRI

1. Full Name

• In MRI, “chest leads” usually refers to the ECG electrodes (leads) placed on the chest for cardiac gating.

• Full name: Electrocardiogram (ECG) Chest Leads (MRI-compatible).

2. Use in MRI

• Used for ECG gating or cardiac triggering → synchronizes image acquisition with the heart cycle.

• Especially important in Cardiac MRI to freeze motion and obtain cine, perfusion, and LGE sequences without motion blur.

• Sometimes used in thoracic MRI when cardiac motion artifacts interfere.

3. Function

• Detects R-wave of the ECG → scanner uses this signal to trigger acquisition at a consistent phase of the cardiac cycle.

• Provides information about heart rate and rhythm during scan.

• Helps in patient safety monitoring (arrhythmias, bradycardia, tachycardia).

4. Special Points in MRI

• Leads must be MRI-compatible (non-ferromagnetic, carbon-fiber based).

• Placement: Modified from standard ECG because MRI magnet causes magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect, which distorts T-waves.

• Common setup: 3-lead or 4-lead chest electrodes, placed away from imaging region to reduce artifacts.

• If ECG is not reliable → vectorcardiography (VCG) gating is used instead.

✅ In summary:

• Chest leads in MRI = MRI-compatible ECG electrodes.

• Use: Synchronize scanning with heart cycle (cardiac gating) & monitor heart rhythm.

• Function: Improve image quality by reducing motion, ensure patient safety.

i will give you a step-by-step chest lead placement guide (with diagram) for Cardiac MRI that techs can follow easily.