Multi-contrast delayed enhancement provides improved contrast between myocardial infarction and blood pool.
OBJECTIVE
To develop and test a delayed-enhancement imaging method for improving the contrast between myocardial infarction (MI) and blood pool.


METHODS
The T(2) of blood is significantly longer than that of acute or chronic MI. The proposed multi-contrast delayed-enhancement (MCODE) imaging method produces a series of images with both T(1) and T(2) weightings, which provides both excellent contrast between normal and infarcted myocardium, and between blood and MI.


RESULTS
The subendocardial border between MI and blood pool was easily discriminated in the T(2)-weighted image. The measured MI-to-blood contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was better in the T(2)-weighted image than in the T(1)-weighted image (22.5+/-8.7 vs. 2.9+/-3.1, mean+/-SD, N=11, P<0.001, for True FISP, and 19.4+/-10.8 vs. 3.9+/-2.3, N=11, P<0.001, for Turbo FLASH).


CONCLUSIONS
The MCODE method provides a significant improvement in the ability to easily discriminate subendocardial MI by providing a T(2)-weighted image with high contrast between blood and MI. MCODE should improve both the detection and accurate sizing of MI.
Kellman
Peter
P
Laboratory of Cardiac Energetics, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1061, USA.
Chung
Yiu-Cho
YC
Simonetti
Orlando P
OP
McVeigh
Elliot R
ER
Arai
Andrew E
AE
D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis*
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA