High-resolution 3D coronary vessel wall imaging with near 100% respiratory efficiency using epicardial fat tracking: reproducibility and comparison with standard methods

Purpose

To quantitatively assess the performance and reproducibility of 3D spiral coronary artery wall imaging with beat‐to‐beat respiratory‐motion‐correction (B2B‐RMC) compared to navigator gated 2D spiral and turbo‐spin‐echo (TSE) acquisitions.

Materials and Methods

High‐resolution (0.7 × 0.7 mm) cross‐sectional right coronary wall acquisitions were performed in 10 subjects using four techniques (B2B‐RMC 3D spiral with alternate (2RR) and single (1RR) R‐wave gating, navigator‐gated 2D spiral (2RR) and navigator‐gated 2D TSE (2RR)) on two occasions. Wall thickness measurements were compared with repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Reproducibility was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results

In all, 91% (73/80) of acquisitions were successful (failures: four TSE, two 3D spiral (1RR) and one 3D spiral (2RR)). Respiratory efficiency of the B2B‐RMC was less variable and substantially higher than for navigator gating (99.6 ± 1.2% vs. 39.0 ± 7.5%, P < 0.0001). Coronary wall thicknesses (± standard deviation [SD]) were not significantly different: 1.10 ± 0.14 mm (3D spiral (2RR)), 1.20 ± 0.16 mm (3D spiral (1RR)), 1.14 ± 0.15 mm (2D spiral), and 1.21 ± 0.17 mm (TSE). Wall thickness reproducibility ranged from good (ICC = 0.65, 3D spiral (1RR)) to excellent (ICC = 0.87, 3D spiral (2RR)).

Conclusion

High‐resolution 3D spiral imaging with B2B‐RMC permits coronary vessel wall assessment over multiple thin contiguous slices in a clinically feasible duration. Excellent reproducibility of the technique potentially enables studies of disease progression/regression. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;33:77–86. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.