title: Magnetic resonance imaging of prosthetic heart valves.
abstract: To evaluate the safety of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of prosthetic heart valves, nine different synthetic and tissue valves were studied ex vivo. Deflection was measured in 0.35-tesla (T) and 1.5-T superconducting magnets and at the edge of the bore of a 2.35-T electromagnet in field gradients of 5, 1.1, and 6.3 mT/cm, respectively. No valve deflected in the 0.35-T magnet; six synthetic valves deflected 0.25 degrees-3 degrees in the 1.5-T magnet; all valves deflected 1 degree-27 degrees at the edge of the 2.35-T magnet. Each valve was then submerged in a vial of water and the temperature was measured immediately before and after each of two spin-echo imaging sequences in the two superconducting magnets. No significant temperature rise followed exposure in either magnet. Image distortion varied from negligible to severe in both imagers; magnitude of distortion paralleled magnitude of deflection. These data suggest that patients with present-day prosthetic heart valves can be safely imaged in present-day MR imagers and that prosthesis-induced artifacts will not interfere with interpretation in most instances.
mesh_terms: D001705:Bioprosthesis; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation; D013696:Temperature