Simultaneous imaging of myocardial motion and chamber blood flow with SPAMM n' EGGS (Spatial Modulation of Magnetization With Encoded Gradients for Gauging Speed).
OBJECTIVE
To provide simultaneous measurements of one-dimensional (1-D) myocardial displacement and 1-D chamber blood flow in a single breath-held acquisition using an MR imaging technique, SPAMM n' EGGS (Spatial Modulation of Magnetization With Encoded Gradients for Gauging Speed).


METHODS
Velocity encoding bipolar gradients sensitive to chamber blood flow were played out before the readout gradient in a 1-1 SPAMM-tagged MR imaging pulse sequence. For any given motion-flow encoded direction, the acquired image sequence was later postprocessed to separate the tag motion and blood flow terms. Experiments were performed on seven normal volunteers, and two pigs with moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation. Left-ventricular motion and trans-valvular flow obtained using the SPAMM n' EGGS pulse sequence was compared against measurements obtained using standard tagging and phase-contrast pulse sequences, respectively.


RESULTS
Results in normal volunteers and diseased pigs demonstrate multiphase correlated measurements of myocardial motion and chamber blood flow using SPAMM n' EGGS. A close correspondence in these measurements to conventional tagging and phase-contrast sequences is confirmed.


CONCLUSIONS
We have demonstrated that simultaneous acquisition of myocardial motion and chamber blood flow is possible within a single breath-hold. The data obtained using the SPAMM n' EGGS pulse sequence may be useful in the planning and evaluation of mitral-valve repair procedures.
Sampath
Smita
S
Laboratory of Cardiac Energetics, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1061, USA. sampaths@mail.nih.gov
Kim
June H
JH
Lederman
Robert J
RJ
McVeigh
Elliot R
ER
D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000379:methods*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000503:physiopathology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D013552:Swine