Noninvasive detection of myocardial ischemia from perfusion reserve based on cardiovascular magnetic resonance.
BACKGROUND
Myocardial perfusion reserve can be noninvasively assessed with cardiovascular MR. In this study, the diagnostic accuracy of this technique for the detection of significant coronary artery stenosis was evaluated.


RESULTS
In 15 patients with single-vessel coronary artery disease and 5 patients without significant coronary artery disease, the signal intensity-time curves of the first pass of a gadolinium-DTPA bolus injected through a central vein catheter were evaluated before and after dipyridamole infusion to validate the technique. A linear fit was used to determine the upslope, and a cutoff value for the differentiation between the myocardium supplied by stenotic and nonstenotic coronary arteries was defined. The diagnostic accuracy was then examined prospectively in 34 patients with coronary artery disease and was compared with coronary angiography. A significant difference in myocardial perfusion reserve between ischemic and normal myocardial segments (1.08+/-0.23 and 2.33+/-0.41; P<0.001) was found that resulted in a cutoff value of 1.5 (mean minus 2 SD of normal segments). In the prospective analysis, sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of coronary artery stenosis (> or =75%) were 90%, 83%, and 87%, respectively. Interobserver and intraobserver variabilities for the linear fit were low (r=0.96 and 0.99).


CONCLUSIONS
MR first-pass perfusion measurements yielded a high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of coronary artery disease. Myocardial perfusion reserve can be easily and reproducibly determined by a linear fit of the upslope of the signal intensity-time curves.
Al-Saadi
N
N
Department of Internal Medicine/Cardiology, German Heart Institute Berlin and Charité, Campus Virchow, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
Nagel
E
E
Gross
M
M
Bornstedt
A
A
Schnackenburg
B
B
Klein
C
C
Klimek
W
W
Oswald
H
H
Fleck
E
E
D017023:Coronary Angiography; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D019786:Gadolinium DTPA