Improved turbo spin-echo imaging of the heart with motion-tracking.
OBJECTIVE
To improve dark-blood and short tau inversion recovery (STIR) prepared turbo spin-echo (TSE) imaging of the heart, particularly in the basal short-axis plane where cardiac misregistration between the preparation and imaging phases is high.


METHODS
In the first approach (tracked), the basal short-axis plane was labeled and tracked over the cardiac cycle. The slice-selective 180 degrees dark-blood and STIR preparation pulses were then independently positioned on the appropriately timed labeled images. In the second approach (offset), the preparation pulses were output in the same orientation as the imaging plane, but with a user-defined slice offset that was derived from the labeled data. Both approaches were compared with the standard untracked dark-blood STIR TSE sequence (7-mm slice thickness) in 10 healthy volunteers.


RESULTS
For typical preparation slice thicknesses, tracked and offset TSE images were superior to the untracked images (both P < 0.01). For the more mobile right ventricle (RV), the image quality of the tracked images was superior to that of the offset images (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Tracking the through-plane motion of the heart between preparation and imaging phases improves the quality of thin-slice basal short-axis TSE images, particularly for the more mobile RV.
Keegan
Jennifer
J
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom. j.keegan@rbh.nthames.nhs.uk
Gatehouse
Peter D
PD
Prasad
Sanjay K
SK
Firmin
David N
DN
D000465:Algorithms; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D013113:Spin Labels; D013997:Time Factors
D013113:Spin Labels