Adult smart-sync
Doppler ultrasound gating for reliable adult cardiac MRI
smart-sync provides ECG-free cardiac gating using Doppler Ultrasound. It detects and synchronises the cardiac cycles with the MRI and enables stable triggering and artifact-free imaging even in cases where ECG gating becomes unreliable.
Adult smart-sync in brief
Doppler ultrasound gating for reliable adult cardiac MRI
Adult smart-sync is a Doppler ultrasound-based cardiac gating system for MRI.
It detects myocardial motion and blood flow directly and synchronizes the cardiac cycle with MRI acquisition, enabling stable triggering and artifact-free imaging even when ECG gating becomes unreliable.
This additional robustness supports cardiologists and radiologists performing cardiovascular MRI (CMR) in challenging cases such as high-field 3T MRI, where ECG signals may degrade due to magneto-hydrodynamic effects.
By enabling reliable synchronization of systolic and diastolic phases, smart-sync improves image consistency and quantitative accuracy, supporting confident diagnosis in routine clinical cardiac MRI.
How does adult smart-sync work?
The system provides undisturbed signal quality by using mechanical cardiac motion as the trigger ensuring stable synchronization for all cardiac MRI sequences.
Place the ultrasound transducer on left parasternal side, starting at the sternum and level with the third rib, fixed where the heart connects to the chest wall for an acoustic window that remains effective during respiration.
It connects wireless to the MRI system via the standard ECG input channel and is compatible with all MRI scanners.
What are the benefits of adult cardiac MRI with smart-sync?
Adult smart-sync supports clinicians performing cardiovascular MRI in complex or technically challenging patients.
This makes smart-sync particularly valuable in cases where ECG gating is unreliable or difficult.
Key Advantages
Reliable and undisturbed gating in high-field 3T and 1.5T with no effects on signal quality
Suitable for all patients, regardless of body size, pacemakers, scars, or conditions such as amyloidosis and stable triggering in patients with arrhythmias
Fast application – no shaving or skin preparation required
Cost-effective – eliminates the need for expensive ECG electrodes
With the
transducer the heartbeat is measured. It is artifact-free and built with wings for easy fastening.
Unboxing adult smart-sync
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The cardiac gating simply appears as an ECG signal on the MRI scanner.
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smart-sync is a plug and play device that does not require any special installation.
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smart-sync is compatible with all MRI systems of 1.5T and 3T.
The Sensor Box is the main unit that calculates the trigger signal using Doppler Ultrasound. The trigger is then sent to the MR system.
How does adult smart-sync integrate into your clinical workflow?
Adult smart-sync is designed as a plug-and-play MRI gating solution that integrates easily into existing CMR protocols.
Typical workflow:
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Connect the smart-sync Sensor Box to the MRI system via the standard trigger interface
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Position the DUS transducer over the cardiac apex and secure it with the belt
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Optimize the acoustic window using the touchscreen interface
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Select systolic or diastolic triggering
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Perform the cardiac MRI scan using standard sequences
Adult smart-sync easily integrates with the following MRI machines without requiring additional software
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Recent Publication
L.D. Beissel et al.
Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
2025