Coronary MR angiography: respiratory motion correction with BACSPIN

PURPOSE: To improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of breath-held coronary magnetic resonance angiography (CMRA) without increasing the number or duration of breath holds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this BACSPIN (Breathing AutoCorrection with SPiral INterleaves) technique, a single breath-held electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated multi-slice interleaved-spiral data set is acquired, followed by repeated imaging of the same slices during free breathing. Each spiral interleaf from the breath-held data set is used as a standard for comparison with corresponding acquisitions at the same interleaf angle during free breathing. The most closely matched acquisitions are incorporated into a multi-slice, multi-average data set with increasing SNR over time. In-plane translations of the coronary artery can be measured and compensated for each accepted acquisition before combination with the other acquisitions. RESULTS: CMRA was performed on six volunteers, with improved SNR and minimal motional blurring. In some cases, breath holding could be dispensed with completely and the average respiratory position used as a reference. CONCLUSION: BACSPIN provides a promising method for CMRA with improved SNR and limited breath-holding requirements.