Simultaneous myocardial strain and dark-blood perfusion imaging using a displacement-encoded MRI pulse sequence.
The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a displacement-encoded pulse sequence for simultaneous perfusion and strain imaging. Displacement-encoded images in two to three myocardial slices were repeatedly acquired using a single-shot pulse sequence for 3 to 4 min, which covers a bolus infusion of Gadolinium contrast. The magnitudes of the images were T(1) weighted and provided quantitative measures of perfusion, while the phase maps yielded strain measurements. In an acute coronary occlusion swine protocol (n = 9), segmental perfusion measurements were validated against microsphere reference standard with a linear regression (slope 0.986, R(2) = 0.765, Bland-Altman standard deviation = 0.15 mL/min/g). In a group of ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients (n = 11), the scan success rate was 76%. Short-term contrast washout rate and perfusion are highly correlated (R(2) = 0.72), and the pixelwise relationship between circumferential strain and perfusion was better described with a sigmoidal Hill curve than linear functions. This study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring strain and perfusion from a single set of images.
Le
Yuan
Y
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Stein
Ashley
A
Berry
Colin
C
Kellman
Peter
P
Bennett
Eric E
EE
Taylor
Joni
J
Lucas
Katherine
K
Kopace
Rael
R
Chefd'Hotel
Christophe
C
Lorenz
Christine H
CH
Croisille
Pierre
P
Wen
Han
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013382:Subtraction Technique; D013552:Swine