Inversion prepared coronary MR angiography: Direct visualization of coronary blood flow

M Katoh, E Spuentrup, M Stuber, A Buecker, W J Manning, R W Gunther, R M Botnar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: Visualization of coronary blood flow by means of a slice-selective inversion pre-pulse in concert with bright-blood coronary MRA. Materials and Methods: Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the right coronary artery (RCA) was performed in eight healthy adult subjects on a 1.5 Tesla MR system (Gyroscan ACS-NT Philips Medical Systems, Best, NL) using a free-breathing navigator-gated and cardiac-triggered 3D steady-state free-precession (SSFP) sequence with radial k-space sampling. Imaging was performed with and without a slice-selective inversion pre-pulse, which was positioned along the main axis of the coronary artery but perpendicular to the imaging volume. Objective image quality parameters such as SNR, CNR, maximal visible vessel length, and vessel border definition were analyzed. Results: In contrast to conventional bright-blood 3D coronary MRA, the selective inversion pre-pulse provided a direct measure of coronary blood flow. In addition, CNR between the RCA and right ventricular blood pool was increased and the vessels had a tendency towards better delineation. Blood SNR and CNR between right coronary blood and epicardial fat were comparable in both sequences. Conclusion: The combination of a free-breathing navigator-gated and cardiac-triggered 3D SSFP sequence with a slice-selective inversion pre-pulse allows for direct and directional visualization of coronary blood flow with the additional benefit of improved contrast between coronary and right ventricular blood pool
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)173 - 178
Number of pages6
JournalRofo-Fortschritte Auf Dem Gebiet Der Rontgenstrahlen Und Der Bildgebenden Verfahren
Volume177
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2005

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Inversion prepared coronary MR angiography: Direct visualization of coronary blood flow'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this