Premium
Whole‐heart coronary vein imaging: A comparison between non‐contrast‐agent‐ and contrast‐agent‐enhanced visualization of the coronary venous system
Author(s) -
Rasche Volker,
Binner Ludwig,
Cavagna Friedrich,
Hombach Vinzenz,
Kunze Markus,
Spiess Jochen,
Stuber Matthias,
Merkle Nico
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.21228
Subject(s) - coronary sinus , medicine , coronary vein , contrast (vision) , great cardiac vein , contrast to noise ratio , venous blood , magnetic resonance imaging , cardiac imaging , nuclear medicine , vein , steady state free precession imaging , tail vein , cardiology , radiology , image quality , microbiology and biotechnology , artificial intelligence , biology , computer science , in vivo , image (mathematics)
The feasibility of three‐dimensional (3D) whole‐heart imaging of the coronary venous (CV) system was investigated. The hypothesis that coronary magnetic resonance venography (CMRV) can be improved by using an intravascular contrast agent (CA) was tested. A simplified model of the contrast in T 2 ‐prepared steady‐state free precession (SSFP) imaging was applied to calculate optimal T 2 ‐preparation durations for the various deoxygenation levels expected in venous blood. Non‐contrast‐agent (nCA)‐ and CA‐enhanced images were compared for the delineation of the coronary sinus (CS) and its main tributaries. A quantitative analysis of the resulting contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) and signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) in both approaches was performed. Precontrast visualization of the CV system was limited by the poor CNR between large portions of the venous blood and the surrounding tissue. Postcontrast, a significant increase in CNR between the venous blood and the myocardium (Myo) resulted in a clear delineation of the target vessels. The CNR improvement was 347% ( P < 0.05) for the CS, 260% ( P < 0.01) for the mid cardiac vein (MCV), and 430% ( P < 0.05) for the great cardiac vein (GCV). The improvement in SNR was on average 155%, but was not statistically significant for the CS and the MCV. The signal of the Myo could be significantly reduced to about 25% ( P < 0.001). Magn Reson Med 57:1019–1026, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.