title: Coronary artery imaging at 0.5 T using segmented 3D echo planar imaging.
abstract: The application of segmented 3D gradient echo EPI at 0.5 T for coronary artery imaging is described. Experiments were performed using fat suppression, ECG triggering, and a patient-controlled breath-holding scheme. This approach provides a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio for thin contiguous slices in conjunction with a phased array cardiac receive coil. Wide 3D volumes, covering the proximal branches of the coronary tree, were measured with a high spatial resolution. Such data sets can be used for subsequent vessel segmentation. Furthermore, data out of narrow 3D volumes were obtained containing fewer slices angulated in the direction of a selected coronary artery. This provides a good visualization of the selected vessel over several centimeters without the need for segmentation.
authors.affiliation: Philips Research, Department Technical Systems, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Börnert
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jensen
mesh_terms: D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors