An observational study in Normal and Abnormal Cardiovascular Physiology, sponsored by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 7 Years to 100 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-05.
Sponsored by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) · Observational
Background:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important non-invasive tool to study and diagnose cardiovascular disease. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create pictures of body organs. Researchers want to find better MRI methods and new ways of imaging cardiovascular disease and better understand normal and abnormal cardiovascular and brain function. Researchers are also interested in seeing if gadolinium, the commonly used MRI contrast agent, stays in the body long after the MRI was performed.
Objectives:
To develop new methods for imaging the heart and other organs of the body.
To describe cardiovascular diseases using newer MRI methods
To look at the relationship between cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors and other organ systems
To look for gadolinium deposits in the brain from prior exams.
Eligibility:
Healthy people and people with known or suspected cardiovascular disease ages 7 and older may be eligible for this study.
Researchers may be particularly interested in those who:
Design:
There are multiple arms to the study with optional components; therefore, there are multiple variations as to what an individual participant s experience may involve.
Participants will have an MRI scan lasting up to 2 hours. The scanner is a large hollow tube. During the scan, there may be loud knocking and buzzing sounds caused by the scanner. Participants will lie on a table that slides in and out of the tube. Their vital signs may be monitored.
Participants may have a test of heart electrical activity using wires connected to pads on the skin.
Participants may have blood drawn.
Participants may be injected with an MRI contrast agent through a plastic tube inserted in the arm.
The purpose of this protocol is to develop and test new MRI techniques applicable to patients undergoing cardiovascular evaluation with the ultimate goal of translating the technical advances into improving clinical diagnosis and management of patients undergoing cardiovascular evaluation. Patients undergoing cardiovascular evaluation and healthy volunteers will be scanned under the protocol. We will evaluate new developments in non-contrast and contrast MRI of the heart and blood vessels and novel postprocessing methods.
The use of the newer sequences will be used to improve clinical imaging workflow and disease diagnosis. We hope to use this protocol to clearly describe cardiovascular disease and associated problems using novel MRI methods and follow certain subsets of patients with disease as part of a natural history process. Inter-related physiologic systems may be phenotyped by MRI with characterization of disease associations between different organ systems.
Additionally, information regarding gadolinium deposition of the brain will be gathered. The literature regarding deposition of gadolinium in the brain has a large void regarding information of prevalence of the phenomenon in healthy subjects. The National Institutes of Health has a large healthy subject pool who have participated in gadolinium contrast MRI studies. This pool of healthy subjects is not easily available at most clinical MRI centers, and thus, we are uniquely well-situated to be able to answer this outstanding question.
For all objectives, MRI studies will be conducted in the NIH MRI systems located at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. These procedures may involve the intravenous administration of commercially available MR contrast media and exercise or pharmacologic stress testing. Results will be used to evaluate the performance of various research pulse sequences, gradient coils, and radiofrequency receiver coils on human subjects and will provide essential ground work for specific patient protocols, both diagnostic and therapeutic.
991 studies on the registry are indexed under Heart Defects, Congenital; 251 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 5,000 is above the median of 119 across 440 observational studies indexed under Heart Defects, Congenital.
Browse Heart Defects, Congenital studies →National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the lead sponsor of 1,143 studies on the registry; 71 are open to participants now.
Of its 58 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 51 (88%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Primary care clinic
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS:
Conditions that are thought to make MRI unsafe (that will be determined by filling out a separate form) including:
INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR SUBJECTS WITH KNOWN OR SUSPECTED WITH HEART DISEASE:
EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR SUBJECTS WITH KNOWN OR SUSPECTED HEART DISEASE:
Conditions that are thought to make MRI unsafe (that will be determined by filling out a separate form) including:
INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR SUBJECTS WITH NON-CARDIAC DISEASE:
EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR SUBJECTS WITH NON- CARDIAC DISEASE:
Conditions that are thought to make MRI unsafe (that will be determined by filling out a separate screening form) including:
performance of the MRI, even if the pregnancy test was negative within the past week. The pregnancy test will be repeated if she answers in the affirmative. Post-menopausal and surgically sterilized subjects are automatically exempt from this testing.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Postmenopausal
Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Both healthy subjects and patient subjects who have previously undergone MRI and received gadolinium.
Healthy children will be used as controls for children with cardiac disease. Child patient will undergo MRI scans.
Subjects may be used to test image quality or functionality of MRI sequences; subjects may also be used as controls for adults with cardiac and non-cardiac disease.
Adults with risk factors for cardiac disease or suspected or known cardiac disease
Translational development of MRI sequences
Possible comparison to other studies that subjects may have undergone. Descriptive MRI catalogue of multiple cardiovascular processes Follow-up of outcomes subsequent to the MRI scan in select subject groups Follow-up of changes in diagnosis following the MRI scan in select subject groups
Time frame: on going
Technical development of MRI sequences
Possible assessments include structure depictions, heart chamber volumes, blood flow velocity, image quality scores, pixelwise and segmental summary scores of parametric maps in the heart. Anatomical imaging may be assessed for non- cardiac applications. Contrast- to-noise, and signal-to-noise measurements may be performed. For novel sequences, comparisons to standard product sequences may be performed.
Time frame: on going
Evaluating the correlation
Measurements of cardiac chamber size and function, vascular reactivity and perfusion are among the parameters that may be followed with comparison to standard biomarkers of disease and clinical manifestations of disease. Neurologic vascular reactivity, blood volume, resting state connectivity, BOLD signal changes may be compared among healthy subjects, asymptomatic subjects with risk factors, and subjects with disease.
Time frame: on going
Assesment of Gad deposition in the brain
Assessment of non-contrast MRI findings that are consistent with gadolinium deposition.
Time frame: on going
Plan to share: Undecided — The study team will make a decision on this matter.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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