Diagnosis and assessment of mitral and aortic valve disease by cine-flow magnetic resonance imaging.
Seventy-six aortic and mitral valves, in 44 patients and 5 normal volunteers, were studied by Cine-Flow MRI (on a 0.26-T superconducting magnet system), utilizing compound oblique imaging planes and a Field Echo Even Rephasing sequence. All patients had had cardiac catheterization and echocardiography. All patients with valvular stenosis and aortic sclerosis (n = 45) showed complete signal loss distal to the respective valve. Length of signal loss distal to the aortic valve in those in whom it was measured (n = 15) allowed differentiation of aortic stenosis (n = 9) from sclerosis (n = 6). This also permitted grading of stenosis with highly significant correlation (T = 0.86; P less than 0.002) with pressure gradient measurement. In mitral stenosis (n = 12) calculation of the area of signal loss distal to the mitral valve as a percentage of left ventricular cross-sectional area showed a highly significant correlation (T = 0.77; P = 0.001) with pressure gradient measurement. Clinically significant valvular regurgitation was graded by size and duration of signal loss proximal to the value with concordance with angiocardiography. It is concluded that Cine-Flow MRI has a clinical role in the diagnosis and assessment of valvular heart disease.
Mitchell
L
L
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Manchester, England.
Jenkins
J P
JP
Watson
Y
Y
Rowlands
D J
DJ
Isherwood
I
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000473:pathology*; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000473:pathology*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D012598:Sclerosis