Stimulated-echo acquisition mode (STEAM) MRI for black-blood delayed hyperenhanced myocardial imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a breathhold method for black-blood viability imaging of the heart that may facilitate identifying the endocardial border.


METHODS
Three stimulated-echo acquisition mode (STEAM) images were obtained almost simultaneously during the same acquisition using three different demodulation values. Two of the three images were used to construct a black-blood image of the heart. The third image was a T(1)-weighted viability image that enabled detection of hyperintense infarcted myocardium after contrast agent administration. The three STEAM images were combined into one composite black-blood viability image of the heart. The composite STEAM images were compared to conventional inversion-recovery (IR) delayed hyperenhanced (DHE) images in nine human subjects studied on a 3T MRI scanner.


RESULTS
STEAM images showed black-blood characteristics and a significant improvement in the blood-infarct signal-difference to noise ratio (SDNR) when compared to the IR-DHE images (34 +/- 4.1 vs. 10 +/- 2.9, mean +/- standard deviation (SD), P < 0.002). There was sufficient myocardium-infarct SDNR in the STEAM images to accurately delineate infarcted regions. The extracted infarcts demonstrated good agreement with the IR-DHE images.


CONCLUSIONS
The STEAM black-blood property allows for better delineation of the blood-infarct border, which would enhance the fast and accurate measurement of infarct size.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. sayed@jhu.edu
El-Sayed H
el-SH
Ibrahim
Robert G
RG
Weiss
Matthias
M
Stuber
Dara L
DL
Kraitchman
Li
L
Pan
Amy E
AE
Spooner
Nael F
NF
Osman
D003198:Computer Simulation; D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA