Navigator-gated free-breathing three-dimensional balanced fast field echo (TrueFISP) coronary magnetic resonance angiography.
OBJECTIVE
Recent developments of MR imaging equipment enabled high-quality steady state-free-precession (Balanced FFE, True-FISP) MR-imaging with a substantial 'T2 like' contrast, resulting in a high signal intensity of the blood-pool without the application of exogenous contrast agents. It is hypothesized that Balanced-FFE may be valuable for contrast enhancement in 3D free-breathing coronary MRA.


METHODS
Navigator-gated free-breathing cardiac triggered coronary MRA was performed in 10 healthy adult subjects and three patients with radiograph defined coronary artery disease using a segmented k-space 3D Balanced FFE imaging sequence.


RESULTS
High contrast-to-noise ratio between the blood-pool and the myocardium (29 +/- 8) and long segment visualization of both coronary arteries could be obtained in about 5 minutes during free breathing using the present navigator-gated Balanced-FFE coronary MRA approach. First patient results demonstrated successful display of coronary artery stenoses.


CONCLUSIONS
Balanced FFE offers a potential alternative for endogenous contrast enhancement in navigator-gated free-breathing 3D coronary MRA. The obtained results together with the relatively short scanning time warrant further studies in larger patient collectives.
Spuentrup
Elmar
E
Department of Medicine (Cardiovascular Division), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. spuenti@rad.rwth-aachen.de
Bornert
Peter
P
Botnar
Rene M
RM
Groen
Jan P
JP
Manning
Warren J
WJ
Stuber
Matthias
M
D000328:Adult; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged