title: Quantitative contrast-enhanced first-pass cardiac perfusion MRI at 3 tesla with accurate arterial input function and myocardial wall enhancement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop, and validate in vivo, a robust quantitative first-pass perfusion cardiovascular MR (CMR) method with accurate arterial input function (AIF) and myocardial wall enhancement.
  
  
  METHODS
  A saturation-recovery (SR) pulse sequence was modified to sequentially acquire multiple slices after a single nonselective saturation pulse at 3 Tesla. In each heartbeat, an AIF image is acquired in the aortic root with a short time delay (TD) (50 ms), followed by the acquisition of myocardial images with longer TD values (∼150-400 ms). Longitudinal relaxation rates (R(1) = 1/T(1)) were calculated using an ideal saturation recovery equation based on the Bloch equation, and corresponding gadolinium contrast concentrations were calculated assuming fast water exchange condition. The proposed method was validated against a reference multi-point SR method by comparing their respective R(1) measurements in the blood and left ventricular myocardium, before and at multiple time-points following contrast injections, in 7 volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  R(1) measurements with the proposed method and reference multi-point method were strongly correlated (r > 0.88, P < 10(-5)) and in good agreement (mean difference ±1.96 standard deviation 0.131 ± 0.317/0.018 ± 0.140 s(-1) for blood/myocardium, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed quantitative first-pass perfusion CMR method measured accurate R(1) values for quantification of AIF and myocardial wall contrast agent concentrations in 3 cardiac short-axis slices, in a total acquisition time of 523 ms per heartbeat.
authors.affiliation: New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Breton
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sohae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Axel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D003287:Contrast Media; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA