Assessment of left ventricular function by breath-hold cine MR imaging: Comparison of different steady-state free precession sequences

PURPOSE: To compare steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence protocols with different acquisition times (TA) and temporal resolutions (tRes) due to the implementation of a view sharing technique called shared phases for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) function by breath-hold cine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: End-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (EDV, ESV) were measured in contiguous short-axis slices with a thickness of 8 mm acquired in 10 healthy male volunteers. The following true fast imaging with steady-state precession (TrueFISP) sequence protocols were compared: protocol A) internal standard of reference, segmented: tRes 34.5 msec, TA 18 beats per slice; protocol B) segmented, shared phases: tRes 34.1 msec, TA 10 beats per slice; and protocol C) real-time, shared phases, parallel acquisition technique: tRes 47.3 msec, TA 24 beats for 12 slices covering the entire left ventricle. RESULTS: Phase sharing leads to a significant decrease in EDV, stroke volume (SV), and ejection fraction (EF) (median difference -7.0 mL [*], -9.6 mL, and -3.4%, respectively, for protocol B; -15.3 mL, -13.3 mL, and -2.4% for protocol C; P = 0.002, *P = 0.021). The observed median difference of real-time EDV and SV estimates is of clinical relevance. Real-time cine MR imaging shows a greater variability of EDV and SV. No relevant differences in ESV were observed. CONCLUSION: The true cine frame duration of both shared phases sequence protocols exceeds the period of isovolumetric contraction (IVCT) of the left ventricle resulting in a systematic and significant underestimation of EDV and consequently SV and EF. SSFP sequence protocol parameters, particularly tRes and use of view sharing techniques, should therefore be known at follow-up examinations in order to be able to assess LV remodeling in patients with heart failure.     

Peak velocity and flow quantification validation for sensitivity-encoded phase-contrast MR imaging

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Phase-contrast (PC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique has important clinical applications in blood flow quantification and pressure gradient estimation by velocity measurement. Parallel imaging using sensitivity encoding (SENSE) may substantially reduce scan time. We demonstrate the utility of PC-MRI measurements accelerated by SENSE under clinical conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Accuracy and repeatability of a SENSE-PC implementation was evaluated by comparison with a commercial PC sequence with five normal volunteers. Twenty-six patients were then scanned with SENSE-PC at reduction factors (R = 1, 2, and 3). Blood flow and peak velocity were measured in the aorta and pulmonary trunk in 16 patients and peak velocity was measured at the coarctation of 10 patients. Quantitative flow, shunt ratio, and peak velocity measurements obtained with different reduction factors were compared using correlation, linear regression, and Bland-Altman statistics. All studies were approved by an Institutional Review Board, and informed consent was acquired from all subjects. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients for all comparisons were >0.962 and with high statistical significance (P < .01). Linear regression slopes ranged between 0.96 and 1.11 for flow and 0.88 to 1.05 for peak velocity. For flow, the Bland-Altman statistics yielded a total mean difference ranging from -0.02 to 0.05) L/minute with 2 standard of deviation limits ranging from -0.52 to 0.75 L/minute. For peak velocity, the total mean difference ranged from -0.10 to -0.004) milliseconds with 2-SD limits ranging from -0.062 to 0.46 milliseconds. R = 3 to R = 1 comparisons had greater 2-SD limits than R = 2 to R = 1 comparisons. CONCLUSION: SENSE PC-MRI measurements for flow and pressure gradient estimation were comparable to conventional PC-MRI.     

屏气电影法MRI评价左心室功能的价值

目的：探讨MR屏气电影成像技术评价左室功能的价值。方法：应用屏气电影法MRI对18例健康成年志愿者和36例心脏病患者进行检查，并对左室容量和心肌质量进行测量，将屏气电影法MRI的结果与传统电影法MRI及超声心动图进行比较。结果：（1）屏气电影法与传统电影法MRI及超声心动图所得舒张末期容量（EDV）、收缩末期容量（ESV）、射血分数（EF）相关性良好，相关系数为0．52－0．96，3种方法所测各指标的均值间比较差异无显著性意义（P＞0．05）。（2）3种方法所测舒张末期心肌质量（EDM），收缩末期心肌质量（ESM）相关系数较前3个指标低，且MRI与超声心动图所测ESM的均值差异有显著性意义（P＜0．05），MRI与超声心动图ESM测量的一致性欠佳。结论：屏气电影法MRI与传统电影法MRI、超声心动图比较，各心功能指标测量准确，相关性好，且成像时间短，无呼吸运动伪影，是1种临床实用价值很高的技术。     

Dynamic contrast-enhanced breath-hold MR imaging of thoracic malignancy using cardiac compensation

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the use of dynamic gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced, breath-hold spoiled gradient-recalled (SPGR) MR imaging with cardiac compensation (CMON) compared to spin-echo MR imaging in patients with thoracic malignancy. We retrospectively reviewed MR images from 29 patients with thoracic tumors. MR imaging included axial electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated T1-weighted, fast spin echo (FSE) T2-weighted, and contrast-enhanced breath-hold fast multiplanar SPGR imaging with CMON, which selects the phase-encoding gradient based on the phase within the cardiac cycle. Images were reviewed for lung masses, mediastinal or hilar tumor, disease of the pleura, chest wall, and bones, and vascular compression or occlusion. Contrast-enhanced fast multiplanar SPGR imaging with CMON produces images of the chest that are free of respiratory artifact and have diminished vascular pulsation artifact. ECG-gated T1-weighted images were preferred for depicting mediastinal and hilar tumor. The gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced fast multiplanar SPGR images were useful for depicting chest wall tumor, vascular compression or thrombosis, osseous metastases, and in distinguishing a central tumor mass from peripheral lung consolidation. Pleural tumor was depicted best on the FSE T2-weighted images and the contrast-enhanced SPGR images. As an adjunct to spin echo T1-weighted and T2-weighted imaging, contrast-enhanced fast multiplanar SPGR imaging with CMON is useful in the evaluation of thoracic malignancy.     

Improved reproducibility in measuring LV volumes and mass using multicoil breath-hold cine MR imaging

There is a generally recognized need for improvement in quality of fast cardiac MR images. Consequently, breath-hold cine MR images were obtained with multiple surface coils connected to phased array receivers, and C/N, intra-observer and inter-observer variabilities for LV volumes and mass were evaluated. Two sets of short-axis images of the LV, one with multiple surface coils and another with a body coil, were acquired in eight subjects with a fast cine MR sequence using k-space segmentation (TR/TE=7/2.2 msec, temporal resolution=56 msec). C/N with multicoil imaging was 32.2 ± 7.6 (mean ± SD), significantly higher than that with a body coil (11.0 ± 3.3, P < .01). The mean percentage differences in intra-observer and inter-observer measurements with multicoil imaging were significantly better than those with a body coil. In conclusion, multicoil imaging provides significant gain in C/N on breath-hold cine MRI of the heart. In addition, intra-observer and inter-observer reproducibilities are improved with multicoil imaging.     

Comparison of breath-hold T1-weighted MR sequences for imaging of the liver

Three rapid T1-weighted gradient-echo techniques for imaging of the liver were compared: fast low-angle shot (FLASH) and section-selective (SSTF) and non-section-selective (NSTF) inversion-recovery TurboFLASH. Ten healthy volunteers were imaged at 1.5 T, with breath-hold images acquired in the transaxial and coronal planes and non-breath-hold images in the transaxial plane. Breath-hold images were evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively, and non–breath-hold images were evaluated qualitatively. FLASH images had significantly higher (P <.001) spleenliver signal difference–to-noise ratios (SD/Ns) than NSTF and SSTF images. Liver signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) were significantly higher (P <.001) on FLASH images than on NSTF and SSTF images. With breath hold. FLASH images were rated as having the highest quality in the axial plane, followed by NSTF and SSTF images. In the coronal plane, NSTF images were rated as having the highest quality. For images acquired during patient respiration, NSTF images had the highest quality and showed the least degradation. The results suggest that FLASH images have the highest SD/N and S/N for liver imaging and have the highest quality in the axial plane. In patients who cannot suspend respiration, NSTF images may be least affected by breathing artifact and provide reasonable image quality.     

Phased array breath-hold versus non-breath-hold MR imaging of focal liver lesions: A prospective comparative study

This study was undertaken to determine whether phased array breath-hold T1- and T2-weighted sequences can replace non-breath-hold spin echo (SE) sequences in the imaging of focal liver lesions by comparing overall image quality, liver-lesion contrast, and artifact. Both breath-hold and non-breath-hold T1-weighted and T2-weighted imagings of focal liver lesions were prospectively compared in 120 patients with suspected focal liver lesions imaged at 1.5 T with use of a body phased array multicoil. Breath-hold images were acquired with T1-weighted fast low-angle shot (FLASH) and T2-weighted turbo spin echo (TSE) sequences, and non-breath-hold images were made with conventional T1- and T2-weighted SE sequences. Qualitative image analysis was done by three blinded readers, and quantitative analysis was done. The highest signal-to-noise ratios were obtained with breath-hold T1-weighted FLASH sequence. The signal-to-noise ratios of breath-hold T2-weighted TSE sequence were slightly inferior to those of non-breath-hold SE sequence. Both T1-weighted and T2-weighted breath-hold sequences had less image artifact. Overall image quality of breath-hold sequences was better than that of non-breath-hold sequences for both T1- and T2-weighted sequences (P < .01). The tissue contrast of T1-weighted FLASH sequence was superior to that of SE sequence (P < .01). On T2-weighted imaging, tissue contrast of solid lesions was better on conventional SE sequence than that on breath-hold TSE sequence (P < .01). Respiratory ghost artifact was less prominent on T1-weighted FLASH sequence, although this artifact was occasionally seen on breath-hold T2-weighted TSE sequence. In a state-of-art MR unit with use of a phased array multicoil, conventional T1-weighted can be replaced by breath-hold sequences. On T2-weighted imaging, because solid tumor-liver contrast on breath-hold TSE imaging is inferior to that on non-breath-hold SE image, breath-hold imaging may not replace conventional non-breath-hold T2-weighted SE sequence.     

Inflow quantification in three-dimensional cardiovascular MR imaging

Purpose

To investigate blood inflow enhancement (or lack thereof) in three‐dimensional (3D) cardiovascular MR for both single phase whole‐heart and cine biventricular functions.

Materials and Methods

A 3D imaging sequence is proposed in which radiofrequency excitation gradient is changed without modifying image acquisition or phase/slice encoding. This imaging sequence enables direct inflow measurement while retaining static voxel signal‐to‐noise ratio. Inflow measurements were performed for both spoiled gradient‐echo (GRE) imaging and balanced steady‐state free precession (SSFP) in 18 healthy subjects.

Results

For single phase imaging, increasing slab thickness from 3 to 10 cm lead to 73% and 59% reductions in contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) with GRE and SSFP, respectively. For cine acquisitions, systolic CNR was reduced by 85% and 50% for the GRE and SSFP acquisitions, respectively, while diastolic CNR was reduced by 64% and 42%.

Conclusion

There is significant loss of CNR between blood and myocardium when using larger 3D slabs due to saturation of inflowing spins. The loss of contrast is less pronounced for SSFP than for GRE, though both acquisition techniques suffer. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;28:1273–1279. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Doppler US gating of cardiac MR imaging

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Electrocardiographic (ECG) gating of cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been problematic for many reasons. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using Doppler ultrasound (US) gating, either directly off the moving cardiac wall or the systolic upstroke of the arterial signal from the great vessels in neck, in alternative gating modes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 2.5-MHz, range-gated Doppler US device was used with A-mode guidance for gating directly off left ventricular wall motion. A 4- or 8.1-MHz, continuous-wave (CW) Doppler US device was used for gating off the systolic upstroke from the great vessels in the neck. The subject undergoing imaging held the transducer against his chest for range-gated Doppler US and against his neck for 8.1-MHz CW Doppler US. The 4-MHz transducer was strapped to the subject's neck. Modified Doppler signals were fed back into the gating circuitry of the MR imager to achieve cardiac synchrony. RESULTS: Cardiac gating was achieved by using both the range-gated technique directly off the cardiac wall and the CW method off blood flow from the great vessels. Problems occurred with radiofrequency shielding during the range-gated method; however, these problems were almost completely removed by use of the CW Doppler probes. CONCLUSION: Doppler US gating of MR images is possible and potentially could overcome many shortcomings of ECG gating. Subsequent embodiments of the technique will require improved radiofrequency shielding in the range-gated technique.     

Renal artery blood flow: quantification with breath-hold or respiratory triggered phase-contrast MR imaging

The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reproducibility of breath-hold and respiratory triggered phase-contrast (PC) MR imaging techniques in the measurement of renal artery blood flow. In 12 healthy subjects cardiac-gated PC flow measurements were obtained in the renal arteries using a breath-hold and a respiratory-triggered technique. The flow measurements were repeated in each renal artery separately. Comparison between the sum of flow measurements in the renal arteries and the difference in aortic flow measurements above and below the renal arteries served as an internal control. The flow measurements showed a good reproducibility both with the breath-hold (r = 0.92, p < 0.0001) and with the respiratory-triggered (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001) technique. The validity of both methods was good and there was no statistically significant difference. Reproducible quantitative measurements of renal artery blood flow are possible with respiratory controlled, cardiac-gated, PC MR imaging. Received: 12 February 1999; Revised: 8 February 2000; Accepted: 9 February 2000     

A Methodology for co-registering abdominal MR images over multiple breath-holds

Previous studies have demonstrated that the SNR of abdominal MR images can be increased by averaging images obtained in different breath-hold acquisitions. In this note, the authors present a simple new methodology for ensuring that images acquired in multiple breath-hold periods are accurately co-registered. Within each breath-hold, a quick coronal scout scan is followed by a longer axial scan. The scout is used to position the axial slices in a fixed position relative to the organ under examination. This MR technique can, in principle, be automated so as to add less than 1 s to the imaging time of the axial scan. The method can be used to increase SNR by signal averaging or to co-register images acquired during, for example, uptake of contrast agents. SNR improvement with negligible blurring is demonstrated in liver images acquired by this method from healthy volunteers.     

Short breath-hold, volumetric coronary MR angiography employing steady-state free precession in conjunction with parallel imaging.

An ECG-gated, 3D steady-state free precession (SSFP) technique in conjunction with sensitivity encoding (SENSE)-based parallel imaging was implemented for short breath-hold, volumetric coronary MR angiograpy (CMRA). Two parallel imaging acquisition strategies (employing 1 R-R and 2 R-R intervals, respectively) were developed to achieve 1) very short breath-hold times (12 s for a heart rate of 60 bpm), and 2) small acquisition windows to minimize sensitivity to physiologic motion. Both strategies were examined in CMRA applications over a range of heart rates. A four-point scale blinded reading (with 4 indicating the most desirable features) revealed substantial image quality improvements for the accelerated data as compared to the nonaccelerated approach. The 1 R-R interval scheme yielded an image score of 3.39 +/- 0.60, and was found to be particularly suitable for low heart rates (P = 0.0008). The 2 R-R interval strategy yielded an image score of 3.35 +/- 0.64, and was more appropriate for higher heart rates (P = 0.03). The results demonstrate that 3D SSFP combined with parallel imaging is a versatile method for short breath-hold CMRA while maintaining high spatial resolution. This strategy permits imaging of the major coronary artery distributions in two to three breath-holds using targeted slabs, and offers the potential for single breath-hold, large-volume CMRA.     

Fully automatic geometry planning for cardiac MR imaging and reproducibility of functional cardiac parameters

Purpose:

To establish operator‐independent, fully automated planning of standard cardiac geometries and to determine the impact on interstudy reproducibility of cardiac functional parameters.

Materials and Methods:

Cardiac MR imaging was done in 50 patients referred for left‐ventricular function assessment. In all patients, first standard manual planning was performed followed by automatic planning (AUTO1) and repeat automatic planning (AUTO2) after repositioning the patient to investigate interstudy reproducibility. Cardiac functional parameters were assessed and cine scans were visually graded on a 4‐point scale from nondiagnostic to excellent.

Results:

Overall success rate of AUTO was 94% with good to excellent geometry planning in >94% of cine standard views. Comparing manual versus fully automated planning, a high agreement of cardiac functional parameters (Lin's concordance correlation coefficient, 0.91 to 0.99) with minimal percent bias (0.24 to 3.84%) was found. In addition, a high interstudy reproducibility of automatic planning was demonstrated (Lin's concordance correlation coefficient, 0.89 to 0.99; percent bias, 0.38 to 5.04%; precision, 3.46 to 9.09%).

Conclusion:

Fully automated planning of cardiac geometries could reliably be performed in patients showing a variety of cardiovascular pathologies. Standard cardiac geometries were precisely replicated and functional parameters were highly accurate. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Electrocardiogram acquisition during MR examinations for patient monitoring and sequence triggering

We have developed a method for measuring the electrocardiogram (ECG) continuously during MR examinations. In contrast to ECG acquisition by wires, our new method is to amplify and convert the ECG into an optical signal directly above the patient's heart. The optical signal is transmitted out of the magnet bore by optical fiber. The small and fixed dimensions of the ECG amplifier avoid interactions with the MR system because of shorter electrical structures and smaller enclosed areas. Tests of the proposed device in a 1.5 Tesla MR system show that continuous and reliable ECG monitoring and sequence triggering are possible.     

Multiple breath-hold averaging (mba) method for increased snr in abdominal mri

Breath-holding during MR imaging eliminates respiratory motion artifacts but places a major time constraint on data acquisition. This constraint limits image signal-to-noise ratio and hence spatial resolution. A new method, multiple breathhold averaging, is presented that overcomes these time limitations. Several images are acquired in sequential breath-hold periods, separated by periods of normal breathing, and averaged. This averaged image shows the expected increase in SNR with surprisingly little blurring due to misregistration. SNR improvements can be traded for increased spatial resolution. The MBA methodology can also be applied to 3D data acquisitions, dynamic contrast acquisitions, and image subtractions.     

磁共振动态增强、扩散加权成像联合应用对乳腺病变的诊断价值

目的：探讨单一磁共振动态增强扫描诊断试验、扩散加权成像诊断试验及其联合应用对乳腺病变定性诊断的敏感性、特异性和阳性似然比、阴性似然比,比较其诊断效能。方法：对临床拟诊肿块的患者37例,同时进行动态增强扫描和扩散加权成像检查,均获得手术和病理证实,其中良性病灶18个,恶性病灶19个。对病变的边缘、形态特征、动态增强表现及时间一信号强度曲线采用评分法对病变性质分恶性、可疑恶性及良性三组进行判断。参照动态增强病变位置确定扩散图像病变所在,描记扩散图像上病变的感兴趣区,由软件计算获得表观扩散系数（ADC）值。对获取数据进行统计分析,采用t检验统计学方法进行良性和恶性ADC值比较。联合动态增强扫描和ADC值,采用评分法根据积分情况进行综合定性诊断。比较动态增强扫描、DWI ADC值及联合应用对乳腺病变定性诊断效能。结果：动态增强扫描（病灶边缘、形态学表现结合时间-信号强度曲线）诊断乳腺病变的敏感性、特异性和阳性似然比、阴性似然比分别为89．5％、72．2％和3．221、0．146。良性病变组ADC值1．474±0．441（×100^-3mm^2／s）,恶性病变组ADC值1．082±0．160（×10^-3mm^2／s）,两者间有显著统计学差异（P=0．002,〈0．05）。ADC值诊断敏感性、特异性和阳性似然比、阴性似然比分别为94．7％、66．7％和2．842、0．079。动态增强扫描和DWI-ADC值联合诊断的敏感性、特异性和阳性似然比、阴性似然比分别为94．7％、83．3％和5．684、0．063。结论：磁共振动态增强、扩散加权成像联合应用对乳腺病变的定性诊断敏感性、特异性、阳性似然比、阴性似然比均较单一动态增强扫描或扩散成像诊断效能强。     

Detection of hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison of ferumoxides-enhanced and gadolinium-enhanced dynamic three-dimensional volume interpolated breath-hold MR imaging

The purpose was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging and gadolinium-enhanced dynamic MR imaging using three-dimensional (3D) volume interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Forty-nine patients with 61 HCCs, who underwent ferumoxides-enhanced and gadolinium-enhanced dynamic MR imaging, were included prospectively in this study. Ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging was performed 24 h after completion of the dynamic study using 3D-VIBE. Three radiologists independently interpreted the images. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the receiver-operating characteristic method, and the sensitivity of each imaging technique was compared using McNemars test. The mean diagnostic accuracy of dynamic MR imaging (Az=0.95) was higher than that of ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging (Az=0.90), but failed to reach a statistical significance (P=0.057). The mean sensitivity of dynamic MR imaging (90.7%) was significantly superior to that of ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging (80.9%, P=0.03). Furthermore, for lesions smaller than 15 mm, the mean sensitivity of dynamic MR imaging was significantly higher than that of ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging (85.2% vs. 69.2%, P<0.05). Dynamic MR imaging showed a trend toward better diagnostic accuracy for than ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging for the detection of HCCs.     

A multislice single breath-hold scheme for imaging alveolar oxygen tension in humans

Reliable, noninvasive, and high-resolution imaging of alveolar partial pressure of oxygen (p(A)O(2)) is a potentially valuable tool in the early diagnosis of pulmonary diseases. Several techniques have been proposed for regional measurement of p(A)O(2) based on the increased depolarization rate of hyperpolarized (3) He. In this study, we explore one such technique by applying a multislice p(A)O(2) -imaging scheme that uses interleaved-slice ordering to utilize interslice time-delays more efficiently. This approach addresses the low spatial resolution and long breath-hold requirements of earlier techniques, allowing p(A)O(2) measurements to be made over the entire human lung in 10-15 s with a typical resolution of 8.3 × 8.3 × 15.6 mm(3). PO(2) measurements in a glass syringe phantom were in agreement with independent gas analysis within 4.7 ± 4.1% (R = 0.9993). The technique is demonstrated in four human subjects (healthy nonsmoker, healthy former smoker, healthy smoker, and patient with COPD), each imaged six times on 3 different days during a 2-week span. Two independent measurements were performed in each session, consisting of 12 coronal slices. The overall p(A)O(2) mean across all subjects was 95.9 ± 12.2 Torr and correlated well with end-tidal O(2) (R = 0.805, P < 0.0001). The alveolar O(2) uptake rate was consistent with the expected range of 1-2 Torr/s. Repeatable visual features were observed in p(A)O(2) maps over different days, as were characteristic differences among the subjects and gravity-dependent effects.     

Noninvasive assessment of cardiac ischemic injury using (87)Rb and (23)Na MR imaging, (31)P MR, and optical spectroscopy.

The aim of the study was to compare and analyze different noninvasive indices of cell damage in the isolated pig heart model of regional ischemia. We used (23)Na and (87)Rb MR imaging to evaluate Na(+)/K(+) balance, (31)P MR spectroscopy to measure energetics, and optical spectroscopy to assess oxymyoglobin (MbO(2)). Hearts were subjected to 120-min occlusion of the left anterior descending artery and were then reperfused for 120 min. Reperfusion resulted in an increase in (23)Na (37 +/- 18% of the posterior wall) and decrease in (87)Rb (55 +/- 15%) image intensities, partial recovery of PCr, ATP, the total phosphates, and MbO(2) in the anterior wall. The above changes are consistent with the irreversible cell damage in the anterior wall, confirmed by lack of staining with triphenyltetrazolium chloride. Changes in Na(+) and Rb(+) in the infarct area inversely correlated and their ratio is a more sensitive index of cell injury than either of them alone.