Revealing the secrets of the heart

Back when the BHF was founded in 1961, X-rays were used to provide a rough picture of the heart. We’ve come a long way since then.

Drag the arrows left and right to reveal the progress we’ve made.

A CT scan combines multiple X-rays from different angles to create a 3D image – like the heart which you can see here. Years of research helped to develop this technology, which makes diagnosing problems easier.

The red area of this heart scan shows where the muscle has been damaged by a heart attack. This level of detail was a big leap forward in heart medicine – but scientists are going much further…

This heart is affected by coronary artery disease, where the arteries that supply blood to the heart are narrowed or blocked. You can see these arteries here, coloured in yellow.

Chest X-rays have been used since the 1930s, and they’re still useful ways to see the heart and lungs. Yet as you can see, they don’t show the heart in much detail.

This X-ray reveals the size and outline of this patient’s heart. Doctors can use this image to spot changes in the heart’s shape – which could indicate disease.

X-rays reveal larger blood vessels, like the aorta, which carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Although some health issues can be spotted this way, the level of detail is low.

X-RAY CT scan

…today, BHF-funded research is taking heart imaging even further into the realms of science fiction. See how below…

Now, thanks to gifts like yours, BHF-funded scientists are creating exact replicas of people’s hearts using virtual reality – like the image you see here.

By using a virtual reality headset, scientists can see a 3D model of someone’s beating heart. They can rotate it, look inside it and understand exactly what’s wrong with it. This is an incredible step forward.

This technology will have an extraordinary impact on people’s lives. It will help surgeons to practice procedures, making operations shorter and more successful. This is the lifesaving science of the future – and it’s happening right now.

CT angiograms like this one help doctors visualise heart blood vessels. They help us predict how likely a heart attack is in the future.

This image shows the structures of the heart – like the blood vessels, which you can see coloured light grey. Images like this help surgeons plan operations, but we’re searching for better technology – a search made possible by people like you.

Thousands of people in the UK are living with an undiagnosed heart condition. That means the search for more advanced ways to see the heart is essential – it’s the basis of more diagnoses and better treatments.

CT ANGIOGRAM 3D HEART

Discover the heart in three dimensions…

Revealing the secrets of the heart