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3D image fusion of whole‐heart dynamic cardiac MR perfusion and late gadolinium enhancement: Intuitive delineation of myocardial hypoperfusion and scar
Author(s) -
von Spiczak Jochen,
Mannil Manoj,
Kozerke Sebastian,
Alkadhi Hatem,
Manka Robert
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.26020
Subject(s) - perfusion , medicine , ventricle , coronary artery disease , nuclear medicine , intraclass correlation , perfusion scanning , cardiology , radiology , clinical psychology , psychometrics
Background Since patients with myocardial hypoperfusion due to coronary artery disease (CAD) with preserved viability are known to benefit from revascularization, accurate differentiation of hypoperfusion from scar is desirable. Purpose To develop a framework for 3D fusion of whole‐heart dynamic cardiac MR perfusion and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) to delineate stress‐induced myocardial hypoperfusion and scar. Study Type Prospective feasibility study. Subjects Sixteen patients (61 ± 14 years, two females) with known/suspected CAD. Field Strength/Sequence 1.5T (nine patients); 3.0T (seven patients); whole‐heart dynamic 3D cardiac MR perfusion (3D‐PERF, under adenosine stress); 3D LGE inversion recovery sequences (3D‐SCAR). Assessment A software framework was developed for 3D fusion of 3D‐PERF and 3D‐SCAR. Computation steps included: 1) segmentation of the left ventricle in 3D‐PERF and 3D‐SCAR; 2) semiautomatic thresholding of perfusion/scar data; 3) automatic calculation of ischemic/scar burden (ie, pathologic relative to total myocardium); 4) projection of perfusion/scar values onto artificial template of the left ventricle; 5) semiautomatic coregistration to an exemplary heart contour easing 3D orientation; and 6) 3D rendering of the combined datasets using automatically defined color tables. All tasks were performed by two independent, blinded readers (J.S. and R.M.). Statistical Tests Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for determining interreader agreement. Results Image acquisition, postprocessing, and 3D fusion were feasible in all cases. In all, 10/16 patients showed stress‐induced hypoperfusion in 3D‐PERF; 8/16 patients showed LGE in 3D‐SCAR. For 3D‐PERF, semiautomatic thresholding was possible in all patients. For 3D‐SCAR, automatic thresholding was feasible where applicable. Average ischemic burden was 11 ± 7% (J.S.) and 12 ± 7% (R.M.). Average scar burden was 8 ± 5% (J.S.) and 7 ± 4% (R.M.). Interreader agreement was excellent (ICC for 3D‐PERF = 0.993, for 3D‐SCAR = 0.99). Data Conclusion 3D fusion of 3D‐PERF and 3D‐SCAR facilitates intuitive delineation of stress‐induced myocardial hypoperfusion and scar. Level of Evidence: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;48:1129–1138.