Cardiac MRI Scan — Heart Health Imaging

A cardiac MRI gives you the most detailed view of your heart available — better than an echocardiogram, more detailed than a CT, and with no radiation. It shows your heart's structure, how well it's pumping, whether there's any scarring or inflammation, and the condition of your valves and major blood vessels.

Through Lola Health, you can book a private cardiac MRI at 150+ UK centres without a GP or cardiologist referral. Appointments are usually available within a few days.

What Does a Cardiac MRI Show?

A cardiac MRI captures detailed images of:

• Heart structure — Chamber sizes, wall thickness, valve anatomy. Are the chambers the right size? Are the walls too thick or too thin?
• Pumping function — Ejection fraction (how much blood your heart pushes out with each beat), wall motion abnormalities. This is the key measure of how well your heart is working.
• Heart muscle tissue — Using a technique called late gadolinium enhancement, the scan can identify scarring (from a previous heart attack), inflammation (myocarditis), or abnormal tissue (like amyloid or iron deposits).
• Blood flow — How blood moves through the chambers, across the valves, and into the aorta.
• Pericardium — The sac around the heart. Thickening or fluid here can indicate pericarditis.
• Major blood vessels — Aorta and pulmonary arteries, including size and any aneurysms.

Who Should Get a Cardiac MRI?

• Family history of heart disease — If a parent or sibling had a heart attack, cardiomyopathy, or sudden cardiac death, a cardiac MRI can check for inherited conditions.
• Athletes — Particularly endurance athletes (runners, cyclists) who want to rule out structural heart problems. Cardiac MRI can detect athlete's heart (physiological enlargement) and distinguish it from pathological conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
• Symptoms under investigation — Chest pain, palpitations, breathlessness during exercise, unexplained fatigue.
• Known heart conditions — Monitoring cardiomyopathy, valve disease, or post-heart attack recovery.
• Abnormal ECG or echo — A cardiac MRI provides the next level of detail when initial tests raise questions.
• General screening — Anyone who wants a detailed look at their heart as part of a health check.

Cardiac MRI vs Other Heart Tests

Test	Radiation	Detail Level	Best For	Duration	Typical Cost
Cardiac MRI	None	Highest	Structure, function, tissue characterisation	45-60 min	£349 (Lola Health)
Echocardiogram	None	Good	Basic structure and function, valve assessment	15-30 min	£150-£400
CT Coronary Angiography	Yes	High for arteries	Coronary artery blockages, calcium scoring	15-30 min	£400-£900
ECG	None	Basic	Electrical activity, rhythm	5 min	£50-£150

In short: if you want to know about artery blockages, CT angiography is the first-line test. If you want to know about heart muscle, structure, and function, cardiac MRI is the best option by some distance.

Pricing

Option	Price
Cardiac MRI (standalone)	£349
Full Body Plus MRI (includes cardiac)	£1,599
Full Body Comprehensive MRI (includes cardiac)	£2,299
Longevity MOT Plus (cardiac MRI + 70+ blood biomarkers)	From £1,749

If you're already considering a full body MRI, the Plus or Comprehensive packages include cardiac imaging — which works out cheaper than booking a separate cardiac MRI on top of a Base package.

What Happens During the Scan

1. Preparation — You change into a gown, remove anything metal, and have ECG leads placed on your chest. These sync the scanner with your heartbeat for precise imaging.
2. The scan — You lie still on the table, which slides into the scanner. It's loud — you'll get ear plugs. The radiographer asks you to hold your breath briefly at intervals (about 10-15 seconds each time) so the images aren't blurred by breathing movement.
3. Contrast injection — For most cardiac MRIs, you'll receive a gadolinium contrast agent through a small cannula in your arm. This highlights areas of scarring or inflammation in the heart muscle.
4. Duration — 45-60 minutes total.
5. After — You can drive home and carry on with your day. No recovery needed.

Pair with Cardiovascular Blood Testing

A cardiac MRI shows structure and function. Blood testing shows cardiovascular risk markers. Together, you get a proper picture of your heart health.

Our Peak 70 blood test includes key cardiovascular biomarkers:

• Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides
• Lp(a) — inherited cardiovascular risk factor (can't be measured any other way)
• ApoB — a better predictor of cardiovascular events than LDL alone
• CRP — inflammation marker linked to heart disease risk
• HbA1c — long-term blood sugar, a cardiovascular risk factor

Common Questions

Do I need a GP or cardiologist referral?

No. Book directly through Lola Health. Every booking is reviewed.

Can a cardiac MRI detect blocked arteries?

Cardiac MRI can show areas of reduced blood flow, which suggests blockage. But if detecting coronary artery blockages is your main concern, CT coronary angiography is the better first test. Cardiac MRI is the gold standard for heart muscle and tissue assessment.

Is gadolinium contrast safe?

Gadolinium-based contrast agents are widely used and well-studied. Allergic reactions are rare (about 1 in 10,000). If you have significantly reduced kidney function, contrast may not be suitable — this is screened for. The gadolinium is eliminated through your kidneys within 24 hours.

I have a pacemaker — can I still have a cardiac MRI?

It depends on the type. Some modern pacemakers are MRI-conditional (designed to be safe in a scanner). Let us know when you book and we'll check compatibility.

How often should I have a cardiac MRI?

For general screening, every 1-2 years is reasonable. If you're monitoring a known condition, your cardiologist may recommend more frequent imaging.

Related Guides

• Full Body MRI Scan Guide
• Longevity MOT — MRI + Blood Test
• MRI Scan Pricing
• Cancer Screening MRI
• Find a Centre Near You