Quantification of coronary artery volume flow rate using fast velocity-encoded cine MR imaging.
OBJECTIVE
Breath-hold velocity-encoded cine (VENC) MR imaging has been proposed as a method for measuring coronary blood flow. However, most studies have measured velocity rather than volume flow rate in the coronary arteries. The purpose of this study was to measure volume flow rate in the coronary artery of dogs using high-speed gradients and to compare MR flow measurements with those obtained with a sonographic flowmeter.


METHODS
Fast VENC MR images were obtained with a high-speed-gradient 1.5-T MR system in seven anesthetized dogs before and after administration of dipyridamole. Images were acquired on double oblique planes perpendicular to the left anterior descending arteries with a slice thickness of 5 mm, a field of view of 20 x 10 cm, a velocity window of +/- 1 m/sec, an average imaging time of 21 sec, a TR/TE of 11/5, and a temporal resolution of 44 msec.


RESULTS
Coronary flow measured with VENC MR imaging correlated well with flow measured by the flowmeter (r = .95, slope = 0.97, n = 88). Interobserver variability in measuring coronary flow volume was 8%.


CONCLUSIONS
Fast VENC MR imaging with high-speed gradients can provide accurate quantification of volume flow rate in coronary arteries.
Sakuma
H
H
Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0628, USA.
Saeed
M
M
Takeda
K
K
Wendland
M F
MF
Schwitter
J
J
Szolar
D H
DH
Derugin
N
N
Shimakawa
A
A
Foo
T K
TK
Higgins
C B
CB
D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D004176:Dipyridamole; D004285:Dogs; D004562:Electrocardiography; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014665:Vasodilator Agents
D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D004176:Dipyridamole