title: ACUT2E TSE-SSFP: a hybrid method for T2-weighted imaging of edema in the heart.
abstract: ACUT(2)E TSE-SSFP is a hybrid between steady state free precession (SSFP) and turbo spin echo (TSE) for bright-blood T2-weighted imaging with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) similar to dark-blood TSE. TSE-SSFP uses a segmented SSFP readout during diastole with 180 degrees pulses following a 90 degrees preparation. The 180 degrees refocusing pulses make TSE-SSFP similar to TSE but TSE-SSFP uses gradient moment nulling, whereas TSE uses gradient crushing. TSE-SSFP produced T2-weighted images with minimal T1 weighting. TSE-SSFP and TSE had similar SNR (155.9 +/- 6.0 vs 160.9 +/- 7.0; P = NS) for acute myocardial infarction (MI) and twice the SNR of T2-prepared SSFP (73.1 +/- 3.4, P < 0.001). TSE-SSFP and TSE had approximately double the CNR of T2-prepared SSFP for differentiating acute MI from normal myocardium. Imperfect blood suppression, present in all animals on some TSE images, was a problem eliminated by TSE-SSFP and T2-prepared SSFP.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cardiac Energetics, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health/DHHS, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. aletrasa@nhlbi.nih.gov
authors.forename: Anthony H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Aletras
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kellman
authors.forename: J Andrew
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Derbyshire
authors.forename: Andrew E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Arai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004285:Dogs; D004487:Edema / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging