T2* measurement during first-pass contrast-enhanced cardiac perfusion imaging.
First-pass contrast-enhanced (CE) myocardial perfusion imaging will experience T(2) (*) effects at peak concentrations of contrast agent. A reduction in the signal intensity of left ventricular (LV) blood due to T(2) (*) losses may effect estimates of the arterial input function (AIF) used for quantitative perfusion measurement. Imaging artifacts may also result from T(2) (*) losses as well as off-resonance due to the bolus susceptibility. We hypothesized that T(2) (*) losses would not be significant for measurement of the AIF in full-dose studies using a short echo time (TE = 0.6 ms). The purpose of this study was to directly measure T(2) (*) in the LV cavity during first-pass perfusion. For single-dose Gd-DTPA (0.1 mmol/kg at 5 ml/s), the LV blood pool T(2) (*) had a mean value of 9 ms (N = 10) at peak enhancement. Distortion of the AIF due to T(2) (*) signal intensity loss will be less than 10% using TE = 0.6 ms.
Kellman
Peter
P
Laboratory of Cardiac Energetics, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1061, USA. kellman@nih.gov
Aletras
Anthony H
AH
Hsu
Li-Yueh
LY
McVeigh
Elliot R
ER
Arai
Andrew E
AE
D000465:Algorithms; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016276:Ventricular Function; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*
D019786:Gadolinium DTPA