title: Cardiac cine MR-imaging at 3T: FLASH vs SSFP.
abstract: The implications of an increase in field strength, from 1.5 T to 3 T, for routine functional cardiac examinations have been systematically investigated. Flip angle optimization was carried out for identical SSFP and FLASH cine imaging sequences at 1.5 T and 3 T, which supported the use of 20 degrees (FLASH 1.5 T and 3 T) and >60 degrees (SSFP 1.5 T and 3 T). The optimized sequences were applied in a study of cardiac function in a group of ten normal volunteers. Both SSFP and FLASH sequences showed significant SNR increases in the myocardium and blood at 3 T compared with 1.5 T, increases of 48% and 30% (myocardium and blood, respectively) for the SSFP sequence and 19% and 13% for the FLASH sequence. The SSFP sequence also showed a significant increase in CNR (22%). Image quality assessment revealed that the SSFP acquisitions were superior to FLASH at both field strengths. Although SSFP contained more artifacts at 3 T, they would not prevent its clinical use. We conclude that cardiac functional examinations at 3 T should use SSFP sequences.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK. damian.tyler@physiol.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Damian J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.forename: Lucy E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hudsmith
authors.forename: Steffen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Jane M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weale
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neubauer
authors.forename: Kieran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Robson
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods*; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted