title: Feasibility of cardiac MR examination during quantitative isometric muscular exercise.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  MR examination during quantitative muscular exercise is currently unavailable because the MR instrument has a long gantry and exercise machines are made from ferromagnetic materials such as iron. The purpose of this study was to develop a quantitative, continuously monitored, voluntary isometric exercise device (QIED) for MR examination and to analyse the feasibility of performing MR examination using the new device.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The QIED, which consists of (1) a handgrip (rubber cuff), (2) an extension plastic tube, (3) a pressure transducer, and (4) a pressure digital display that includes the power supply. Components 1 and 2 are non-magnetic. Although components 3 and 4 are ferromagnetic, they can be set up outside the MR examination room using component 2 to prevent them from influencing the MR instrument and examination.We did not observe MR image noise or artifacts in the phantom study using the QIED. MR examination and low sensitivity 31P-MRS could be feasible during quantitative isometric exercise using the QIED.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exercise MR examination using the QIED will provide useful information for the detailed evaluation of cardiac patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiological Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku University School of Health Sciences, Sendai, Japan. chida@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chida
authors.forename: Tatuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohzuki
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Issei
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maruoka
authors.forename: Shoki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuguchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male