[Evaluation of myocardial ischemia with echo planar magnetic resonance imaging (EPI): normal and ischemic heart].
We investigated the validity of Gradient recalled EPI(GRE-EPI) after bolus injection of contrast agent(Gadolinium 0.1 mmol/kg) to detect the ischemic zone of myocardium. Seven healthy volunteers and fifteen patients with coronary artery disease who had only one vessel disease more than 99% stenosis in AHA/ACC classification were studied. GRE-EPI was performed in a transaxial, long axis or short axis orientation of the left ventricle on a 1.5-T Signa Horizon Scanner. Images were obtained every heartbeat for 200 consecutive heartbeats. Contrast agent was injected into the antecubital vein in a bolus after 10 heartbeats. Signal intensity changes in the left ventricular blood and myocardium were measured during myocardial contrast perfusion study. In all healthy volunteers, signal intensity in myocardium was reduced by contrast agent following signal loss in the left ventricular blood and recovered with wash out of contrast agent. But in patients, reduction and recovery of signal intensity in the ischemic zone by contrast agent were significantly delayed and much less than that in the nonischemic zone. In conclusion, myocardial perfusion imaging with GRE-EPI was useful in evaluation of ischemic heart disease.
Inoue
T
T
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Chiba University School of Medicine.
Watanabe
S
S
Masuda
Y
Y
D003326:Coronary Circulation; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005682:Gadolinium; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D005682:Gadolinium