Free-breathing cardiac MR imaging: study of implications of respiratory motion--initial results

The respiratory motion of several anatomic regions (right hemidiaphragm, left ventricle of the heart, chest wall, abdominal wall) was investigated during free breathing in 10 healthy volunteers by using multinavigator technology and real-time magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The respiratory motion shows hysteretic effects, which are strongly subject dependent and might have some effect on the quality of cardiac MR images.