title: Assessment of aortic regurgitation by the acceleration flow signal void proximal to the leaking orifice in cinemagnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The proximal acceleration flow region is a laminar flow field that is located immediately upstream from the leaking orifice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether cinemagnetic resonance imaging can provide information regarding the proximal acceleration flow region in patients with aortic regurgitation and to analyze the relation between the area of the proximal acceleration flow delineated by cinemagnetic resonance imaging and the severity of aortic regurgitation delineated by angiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-eight consecutive patients who underwent aortography were examined by cinemagnetic resonance imaging. The region of proximal flow acceleration was identified as a semicircular-shaped signal void in the aorta during diastole. Cinemagnetic resonance imaging detected the proximal acceleration flow region in 26 of the 30 patients who were proved to have this lesion (sensitivity, 87%). In eight patients without aortic regurgitation according to aortography, no proximal acceleration flow region was detected (specificity, 100%). The area of the acceleration flow signal void from the long-axis view was well correlated with angiographic degree of aortic regurgitation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cinemagnetic resonance imaging is useful in detecting the proximal acceleration flow region and permits noninvasive assessment of the severity of aortic regurgitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kobe General Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hozumi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minagoe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009040:Motion Pictures; D012039:Regional Blood Flow