Coronary sinus flow measurement by means of velocity-encoded cine MR imaging: validation by using flow probes in dogs.
OBJECTIVE
To validate coronary sinus flow measurements for quantification of global left ventricular (LV) perfusion by means of velocity-encoded cine (VEC) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and flow probes.


METHODS
Measurements of coronary sinus flow were performed in seven dogs by using VEC MR imaging at baseline, single coronary arterial stenosis, dipyridamole stress, and reactive hyperemia. These measurements were compared with flow probe measurements of coronary blood flow (CBF) in the left anterior descending coronary (LAD) and circumflex (CFX) arteries (CBF(LAD+CFX)) and coronary sinus. LV blood perfusion was calculated in milliliters per minute per gram from coronary sinus flow, and LV mass was obtained by using VEC and cine MR imaging. LV mass was validated at autopsy.


RESULTS
CBF(LAD+CFX) and coronary sinus flow at VEC MR imaging showed close correlation (r = 0.98, P: <.001). The difference between CBF(LAD+CFX) and MR coronary sinus flow was 3.1 mL/min +/- 8.5 (SD). LV mass at cine MR imaging was not significantly different from that at autopsy (73.2 g +/- 12.8 vs 69. 4 g +/- 12.8). At baseline, myocardial perfusion was 0.40 mL/min/g +/- 0.09 at VEC MR imaging, and CBF(LAD+CFX) was 0.44 mL/min/g +/- 0. 08 (not significant). Reactive hyperemia resulted in 2.7- and 2. 3-fold increases in coronary sinus flow at VEC MR imaging and flow probe CBF(LAD+CFX), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
VEC MR imaging has the potential to measure coronary sinus flow during different physiologic conditions and can serve as a noninvasive modality to quantify global LV perfusion in patients.
Lund
G K
GK
Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628, USA.
Wendland
M F
MF
Shimakawa
A
A
Arheden
H
H
Ståhlberg
F
F
Higgins
C B
CB
Saeed
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D004285:Dogs; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine; D013599:Systole; D014680:Veins