Three‐dimensional cine imaging using variable‐density spiral trajectories and SSFP with application to coronary artery angiography

A single breath‐hold 3D cardiac phase resolved steady‐state free precession (SSFP) sequence was developed, allowing 3D visualization of the moving coronary arteries. A 3D stack of spirals was acquired continuously throughout the cardiac cycle, and a sliding window reconstruction was used to achieve high temporal resolution. A coil specific field of view reconstruction technique was combined with Parallel Imaging with Localized Sensitivities (PILS) to allow acquisition of a reduced field of view. A view ordering incorporating fat suppression was employed to allow use of sliding window reconstruction. The technique was evaluated on healthy volunteers ( n = 8), yielding images with 102 ms temporal resolution and 1.35 mm in‐plane resolution, and reasonable visualization of the left and right coronary arteries was achieved. Magn Reson Med 58:535–543, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.