Three-dimensional cine MRI in free-breathing infants and children with congenital heart disease.
BACKGROUND
Patients with congenital heart disease frequently have complex cardiac and vascular malformations requiring detailed non-invasive diagnostic evaluation including functional parameters.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the morphological and functional information provided by a novel 3-D cine steady-state free-precession (SSFP) sequence.


METHODS
Twenty consecutive children (mean age 2.2 years, nine boys) were examined using a 1.5-T MR system including 2-D cine gradient-recalled-echo sequences, static 3-D SSFP and 3-D cine SSFP sequences.


RESULTS
Measurement of ventricular structures and volumes showed close agreement between the 3-D cine SSFP sequence and the 2-D cine gradient-recalled-echo and static 3-D SSFP sequences (left ventricular volumes mean difference 1.0-1.9 ml and 8.8-11.4%, respectively; right ventricular volumes 1.7-2.1 ml and 9.9-16.9%, respectively). No systematic bias was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
3-D cine MRI provides anatomic as well as functional information with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution in free-breathing infants with congenital heart disease.
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany. Achim.Seeger@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Achim
A
Seeger
Michael C
MC
Fenchel
Gerald F
GF
Greil
Petros
P
Martirosian
Ulrich
U
Kramer
Christiane
C
Bretschneider
Joerg
J
Doering
Claus D
CD
Claussen
Ludger
L
Sieverding
Stephan
S
Miller
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity