title: Single-breath-hold whole-heart coronary MRA in healthy volunteers at 3.0-T MRI.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of single-breath-hold whole-heart MRA with a 3-T system. Ten healthy male volunteers underwent single-breath-hold whole-heart coronary MRA at 3 T. We assessed acquisition time, scores of image quality of coronary artery (RCA: proximal, middle and distal, LAD: main, proximal, middle and distal, LCX: proximal and distal) and the visualized vessel length of RCA, LAD and LCX.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean acquisition time was 37.7 ± 5.2 sec. Coronary branch was successfully depicted in 67/80 branches (84%) in the 10 healthy volunteers with diagnostic image quality. And, the average visible RCA, LAD and LCX vessel length were 83.4 ± 22 mm and 59.6 ± 24 mm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  3-T MRI with single-breath-hold 3D whole-heart coronary MRA can yield adequate image quality. Further study is needed to evaluate the clinical benefit of this technique.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Radiology, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046 Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iyama
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Radiology, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046 Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakaura
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Honjo 1-1-1, Kumamoto, Kumamoto, 860-8556 Japan.
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kidoh
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Radiology, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046 Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Internal Medicine, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046 Japan.
authors.forename: Naritsugu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakaino
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046 Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: MR Clinical Scientist Philips Healthcare AsiaPacific, 13-37 Kohnan 2-chome Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8507 Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okuaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Honjo 1-1-1, Kumamoto, Kumamoto, 860-8556 Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashita
keywords: 3-T MRI; Imaging; Single-breath-hold whole-heart MRA