Selective three-dimensional visualization of the coronary arterial lumen using arterial spin tagging.
Conventional coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) techniques display the coronary blood-pool along with the surrounding structures, including the myocardium, the ventricular and atrial blood-pool, and the great vessels. This representation of the coronary lumen is not directly analogous to the information provided by x-ray coronary angiography, in which the coronary lumen displayed by iodinated contrast agent is seen. Analogous "luminographic" data may be obtained using MR arterial spin tagging (projection coronary MRA) techniques. Such an approach was implemented using a 2D selective "pencil" excitation for aortic spin tagging in concert with a 3D interleaved segmented spiral imaging sequence with free-breathing, and real-time navigator technology. This technique allows for selective 3D visualization of the coronary lumen blood-pool, while signal from the surrounding structures is suppressed.
Stuber
Matthias
M
Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. mstuber@caregroup.harvard.edu
Börnert
Peter
P
Spuentrup
Elmar
E
Botnar
René M
RM
Manning
Warren J
WJ
D000328:Adult; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D014584:User-Computer Interface