Improved delayed enhanced myocardial imaging with T2-Prep inversion recovery magnetization preparation.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a magnetization preparation method that improves the differentiation of enhancing subendocardial infarction (MI) from ventricular blood for myocardial delayed-enhancement (DE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).


METHODS
T2Prep-IR is a magnetization preparation pulse that consists of a T2 preparation (T2Prep) followed immediately by a nonselective inversion recovery (IR) pulse. The first imaging excitation is then delayed an inversion time (TI) to allow nulling of normal myocardium in DE study. The amount of T2 contrast is determined by the effective echo time of the T2Prep pulse, TEeff. TEeff is selected to differentiate MI and blood that share similar T1 values but have different T2 values. The T2Prep-IR preparation was incorporated into a fast gradient echo sequence to produce an image with both T1 and T2 weighting. Simulations predict that this method will generate improved contrast between MI and chamber blood compared to conventional IR methods.


RESULTS
Comparisons between images acquired using conventional IR and T2Prep-IR in patients with MI indicate that this new approach significantly improves the blood-MI contrast (122+/-32% higher than that of IR with P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary patient studies confirm that this preparation is helpful for improved delineation of subendocardial infarction.
Liu
Chia-Ying
CY
Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53792-3252, USA. cliu25@wisc.edu
Wieben
Oliver
O
Brittain
Jean H
JH
Reeder
Scott B
SB
D000465:Algorithms; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity