title: Single and biplane TrueFISP cardiovascular magnetic resonance for rapid evaluation of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) allows very accurate, but time-consuming, volume assessment by the short-axis slice summation technique. The single and biplane methods of volume assessment are used less, partly because FLASH cine imaging provides poor blood-myocardium contrast in long-axis views. TrueFISP gives excellent blood-myocardium contrast, even in patients with heart failure. We hypothesized that the single plane and biplane methods of volume assessment in TrueFISP images might provide an acceptable degree of accuracy and be quicker than the short axis method, and that single and biplane left ventricular volume assessment would be more accurate with TrueFISP than with FLASH in patients with impaired ventricular function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Short- and long-axis CMR images were obtained by FLASH and TrueFISP with a 1.5-T scanner. We determined the accuracy of both single and biplane long-axis methods for left ventricular volume and ejection fraction (EF) measurements compared with the conventional short-axis method in 10 heart failure patients using both FLASH and TrueFISP and in 9 healthy subjects using TrueFISP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No difference in volumes and EF was found between the single plane method, the biplane method, and the short-axis method using TrueFISP for image acquisition, in both patients and healthy subjects. The same was true of the results obtained by FLASH in the patients with heart failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The single and biplane methods, regardless of whether TrueFISP or FLASH is used, are a reasonable and rapid alternative to the conventional short-axis approach for left ventricular volume and EF assessment in patients with heart failure and impaired ventricular function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University of Bochum, Herne, Germany. burkhard.sievers@gmx.de
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sievers
authors.forename: Bodo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brandts
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Franken
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Trappe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002306:Cardiac Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology