Heart Scan Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Heart Scan Market Trends and Insights

Rising Cardiovascular Disease Burden and Earlier Non-Invasive Assessment

Population aging, high blood pressure, dietary risks, and metabolic conditions are expected to increase the cardiovascular disease burden through 2050^{[1]R. Khera et al., “Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases: Projections From 2025 to 2050,” PubMed, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov}. More than 75% of cardiovascular disease deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where diagnostic imaging capacity remains limited. This gap supports demand in the heart scan market for systems that are lower cost, portable, and connected to clinical networks. It also favors suppliers with tiered portfolios rather than a single premium product line. Earlier non-invasive assessment widened the role of CCTA and echocardiography before invasive procedures are considered. Ambulatory and point-of-care settings can extend imaging access when equipment, staffing, and reimbursement support their use.

AI-Enabled Workflow Automation and Quantitative Interpretation

AI tools are changing image acquisition, measurement, and interpretation in the heart scan market. A 2025 scientific statement found that successful AI deployment in cardiac CT and MRI currently favors institutions with established information technology resources. This means that the near-term benefits of automation are likely to be concentrated in better-resourced care settings. Siemens Healthineers introduced the ACUSON Origin in 2025 with more than 500 AI-supported measurements, real-time cardiac view recognition, and automated Doppler placement. A 2025 clinical review reported that AI-enabled point-of-care echocardiography can reduce operator dependence and improve acquisition consistency. The heart scan market, therefore, includes both native AI embedded by equipment suppliers and cross-vendor software offered by specialized providers.

Reimbursement Recognition of CCTA and Cardiac AI Analysis

The payment policy supports CCTA use in the United States. In 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services moved CCTA to ambulatory payment classification 5572, raising hospital outpatient reimbursement from USD 175 to USD 357.13 for relevant procedure codes. CCTA use among Medicare beneficiaries had already increased substantially during the preceding decade, so the revised payment adds an institutional incentive to existing clinical demand. CMS coding guidance continues to define the covered billing framework for CCTA services. The provisional nature of the payment classification means providers must still monitor claims data and future policy decisions. In the heart scan market, this can support equipment demand while also increasing exposure to reimbursement changes. Vendors that link imaging systems with billable analysis workflows may be better positioned in this environment.

Contrast-Free and Lower-Resource Cardiac MRI Workflows

Gadolinium contrast can limit cardiac MRI use for patients with advanced kidney disease and can add complexity to imaging protocols. A July 2026 multicenter study evaluated AI-powered Virtual Native Enhancement, or VNE, in 136 patients across the United Kingdom and Chinese hospital centers. The study reported 94% accuracy for detecting myocardial infarction scars without contrast and found that 70% of patients produced images of sufficient quality to avoid gadolinium. Such workflows could extend eligibility in regions with a high prevalence of renal disease and limited contrast-handling infrastructure. They could also make cardiac MRI more practical where resources are constrained. The heart scan market may consequently see cardiac MRI compete more directly with echocardiography in price-sensitive settings.

High Capital, Maintenance, and Total Cost of Ownership

Advanced imaging systems, including 3-Tesla cardiac MRI and photon-counting CT platforms, remain beyond the purchasing capacity of many public health systems. The cost extends beyond acquisition to service contracts, specialist training, contrast agents, and radiopharmaceutical supply chains. These expenses can lead providers to defer purchases, choose lower-specification equipment, or retain systems beyond their intended replacement cycle. The result is a widening diagnostic capability gap between high-income and lower-income settings. Portable ultrasound can lower some equipment costs, but it does not eliminate the requirements for trained personnel and clinical networks. The heart scan market needs purpose-built, lower-cost offerings and financing approaches that fit public-sector procurement conditions.

Shortage of Cardiac Imaging Specialists and Sonographers

Staffing shortages can limit imaging volumes even where equipment is already installed. U.S. sonography vacancy rates fell from 16.7% in 2023 to 12.4% in 2025, while ultrasound examination volumes rose 55% between 2011 and 2021. The shortage suppresses the utilization of installed equipment and can weaken capital expenditure proposals. Cross-vendor data differences and uneven performance across care settings also complicate the adoption of AI tools. Automation can help with acquisition, measurements, and initial interpretation, but clinical trust and workflow integration remain necessary before it can relieve capacity constraints at scale.

*Our forecasts treat driver/restraint impacts as directional, not additive. The impact forecasts reflect baseline growth, mix effects, and variable interactions.

Segment Analysis

By Modality: Echocardiography Anchors Volume, MRI Accelerates in High-Acuity Imaging

Echocardiography held 31.35% of the heart scan market in 2025, supported by its lower cost, broad availability, real-time imaging, and established reimbursement. Transthoracic echocardiography, or TTE, accounts for most procedure volume within the modality. Intracardiac echocardiography is gaining relevance as structural heart interventions increase. Cardiac CT includes CCTA, calcium scoring, and photon-counting CT applications. Nuclear cardiac imaging also remains relevant for perfusion assessment. Cardiac angiography and fluoroscopy primarily serve interventional rather than purely diagnostic use.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is projected to grow at a 10.48% CAGR from 2026 to 2031, making it the fastest-growing modality in the heart scan industry. Its use is supported by evidence in cardiomyopathy characterization, myocardial viability assessment, and planning for structural heart procedures. The shift from 1.5-Tesla to 3-Tesla systems is increasing clinical interest in higher-resolution cardiac MRI. In February 2026, Inova became the first health system to implement GE HealthCare’s SIGNA Sprint Elite 1 system for high-resolution cardiac imaging. New MRI platforms must continue to meet MRI safety and quality-management requirements in major markets.

By Application: CAD Diagnosis Dominates, Valvular Disease Creates the Fastest Growth Corridor

Coronary artery disease diagnosis represented 44.29% of the heart scan market size in 2025, making it the largest application. Its position reflects the large global burden of ischemic heart disease, which affected 254.28 million people. CCTA is becoming a more important non-invasive coronary assessment method, particularly after the 2025 reimbursement change. Heart failure, structural heart disease, congenital heart disease, and arrhythmia assessment represent additional applications. These applications use different modality preferences, including cardiac MRI for cardiomyopathy and nuclear imaging for perfusion assessment. U.S. FDA clearance pathways and European CE marking under EU MDR 2017/745 continue to influence how new applications reach clinicians.

Valvular heart disease evaluation is forecast to grow at a 12.60% CAGR through 2031. Growth is tied to transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transcatheter mitral valve replacement, which require imaging before, during, and after procedures. In March 2026, Philips received FDA 510(k) clearance for EchoNavigator R5.0 with DeviceGuide, a real-time guidance system for mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair developed with Edwards Lifesciences. AI ECG screening tools may create additional referrals for echocardiography and cardiac CT. EchoNext achieved 77% structural heart disease detection accuracy using a standard 12-lead ECG, compared with 64% for unaided cardiologists. This creates a potential screening-to-imaging pathway that was less developed previously.

By End User: Hospital Volumes Hold Firm as Specialty Centers Scale

Hospitals and clinics accounted for 45.27% of the heart scan market in 2025. They continue to support resource-intensive modalities such as 3-Tesla cardiac MRI, nuclear imaging, and complex structural echocardiography. Diagnostic imaging centers are the second-largest end-user group. They benefit from volume efficiency in CCTA and standard echocardiography. Outpatient reimbursement also supports their role in routine workflows. Hospitals are likely to retain the workhorse capacity needed for broad cardiac imaging access.

Specialty cardiac centers are forecast to grow at an 11.08% CAGR through 2031. Complex procedures, including TAVR, TMVR, and left atrial appendage closure, are moving into dedicated cardiovascular facilities with integrated imaging and interventional capabilities. This shift creates a continuing equipment investment cycle at specialty centers. Ambulatory surgical centers are also gaining a role in lower-acuity procedures as outpatient eligibility expands. The heart scan industry is therefore developing separate procurement profiles. General hospitals prioritize echocardiography and CT capacity, while specialty facilities seek premium systems with interventional integration.

By Technology: 2D Imaging Provides the Volume Base, AI Solutions Change the Margin Stack

2D imaging held 48.70% of the heart scan market in 2025. It remains the basic diagnostic layer across echocardiography, fluoroscopy, and nuclear imaging. 3D and 4D imaging, Doppler, and contrast-enhanced imaging add functional and hemodynamic information. These technologies are important for structural heart assessment and procedural guidance. Established modalities continue to produce most imaging volume. Their per-procedure margins can decline as equipment costs are amortized.

AI-enabled imaging solutions are projected to grow at a 16.52% CAGR through 2031. Their growth reflects expanding use across echocardiography, CT, and MRI. The heart scan market is seeing equipment suppliers embed AI in their platforms to support loyalty across their installed base. Independent software providers are offering cross-vendor tools that can work alongside existing equipment. The heart scan market, therefore, includes suppliers that embed automation in their own equipment and software specialists that offer interoperable tools. It also affects how suppliers protect installed-base relationships and how customers select workflow upgrades.

Geography Analysis

North America held 38.70% of the heart scan market in 2025. The United States accounted for much of the regional volume because of its institutional density, early technology adoption, and active reimbursement reform. The 2025 CCTA payment increase and new AI-supported imaging tools are supporting procurement activity in the region. GE HealthCare launched Flyrcado, a unit-dose PET myocardial perfusion imaging agent, in March 2025 with CMS pass-through status effective April 1, 2025. Canada and Mexico remain secondary regional markets with different reimbursement and procurement cycles.

Europe is the second-largest geography in the heart scan market. Its mature technology base and EU MDR 2017/745 requirements influence the order of product launches across modalities. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France support regional demand through cardiology networks, academic medical centers, and specialist care. The July 2026 VNE study across the United Kingdom and Chinese hospital centers showed how clinical partnerships can help standardize imaging protocols where gadolinium access differs. Italy and Spain have more price-sensitive procurement patterns. Other European countries remain at different stages of cardiac imaging infrastructure development.

Asia-Pacific is forecast to grow at a 10.60% CAGR from 2026 to 2031, making it the fastest-growing geographic area. Domestic Chinese manufacturers are expanding their presence in high-end imaging, supported by public hospital procurement and rising demand for advanced diagnostic capacity. India is expanding cardiac imaging capacity through private multi-specialty hospital investment, while cardiac MRI remains limited by scanner access and post-processing costs. Japan and South Korea are innovation and manufacturing centers, and their regulatory agencies set important quality expectations. The Middle East and Africa, and South America, provide smaller growth opportunities through cardiac-center investment and public healthcare expansion. Philips signed a May 2026 memorandum with the Asian Society of Cardiovascular Imaging to support education and AI collaboration across Asia-Pacific^{[2]“Asian Society of Cardiovascular Imaging and Philips Sign MOU to Strengthen Imaging Capabilities Across Asia Pacific,” Philips, philips.com.sg}.