The future of cardiovascular imaging

Cardiovascular disease is the most common killer worldwide. The technology advancement has successfully postponed someone obtaining cardiovascular disease and increased healthy life expectancy. Cardiovascular diseases are mostly affected by unhealthy life style, heredity or aging. The abnormalities of anatomy and physiology in cardiovascular system such as blood vessel blockage, valve defect, and abnormal heart muscle are typical characteristics of cardiovascular diseases. These abnormalities are happened in the DNA, cell, tissue, organ or body system. The system carries blood containing nutrient and oxygen via pulmonary and systemic circulation controlled by nerve system, protected by immune system and regulated by hormone system. The management of cardiovascular diseases is very complex task. In the early stage of abnormalities, a high performance medical diagnosis instrument is required. This applies also in the detail diagnosis, surgical or intervention, as well as post treatment monitoring. One of the best diagnosis modalities is the medical imaging system. A number of medical imaging systems have been invented since many decades. Until now, however there are still limitations which need to be solved to achieve a safe imaging system with excellent resolution and speed for time and spatial dependent imaging. Ultrasound system has limited resolution due to size of crystal and frequency used. Image quality of X-Ray Computer Tomography is influenced by radiation dose. Although MRI is expected to be the best imaging modalities do to safety and capability in differentiation between soft tissues, this modality needs very high performance parallel computing and high tesla magnetic field. Other modalities have been also used clinically such as infrared and microwave. These have however limited resolution. In the last few years, some imaging modalities have been combined, such as PET-CT, PET-MRI, Ultrasound-CT, and Magneto-Acoustics. The combination is to obtain benefit mixtures of each modality. Besides, it is also well known, the acoustics, magnetic, electromagnetic as well as ionizing radiation can be used for therapy of certain abnormalities such as cancer and cardiovascular plaque. The combination between therapy and diagnosis imaging is a new direction in the imaging. Based on the latest development of imaging system, it can be predicted that the future imaging system is very market dependent. There are two directions of future imaging development. First is a safe, low cost and fast imaging system for early detection and prevention. Second direction is a high resolution, and real time imaging system with therapeutic effect for detail diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Both imaging systems require the advancement in the area of nanotechnology, information technology and medical technology. New imaging transducers and detectors which able to produce high resolution images and cost effective are the target in the nanotechnology development. This includes the investigation of new sensors material and processing technique. High-Q polymer, controllable radioactive and high temperature superconductive materials are future key of imaging transducers. Nanotechnology contributes also to high speed image processing. Combination between nano, medical and information technologies will enable real time automatic detection of abnormalities. It is predicted in 20 years, low cost, safe and fast imaging system will replace the current stethoscope. By 2050, high resolution and real time multimodalities imaging in combination with intervention system will be used as the best treatment system to manage cardiovascular diseases.