First operation of the medical research facility at the NSLS for coronary angiography

The Synchrotron Medical Research Facility (SMERF) at the National Synchrotron Light Source has been completed and is operational for human coronary angiography experiments. The imaging system and hardware have been brought to SMERF from the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory where prior studies were carried out. SMERF consists of a suite of rooms at the end of the high-field superconducting wiggler X17 beam line and is classified as an Ambulatory Health Care Facility. Since October of 1990 the coronary arteries of five patients have been imaged. Continuously improving image quality has shown that a large part of both the right coronary artery and the left anterior descending coronary artery can be imaged following a venous injection of contrast agent.