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Fully automatic, retrospective enhancement of real‐time acquired cardiac cine MR images using image‐based navigators and respiratory motion‐corrected averaging
Author(s) -
Kellman Peter,
Chefd'hotel Christophe,
Lorenz Christine H.,
Mancini Christine,
Arai Andrew E.,
McVeigh Elliot R.
Publication year - 2008
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.21509
Subject(s) - image quality , artificial intelligence , computer science , computer vision , real time mri , image resolution , temporal resolution , breathing , medicine , image (mathematics) , magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear medicine , radiology , physics , anatomy , quantum mechanics
Real‐time imaging may be clinically important in patients with congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or in pediatric cases. However, real‐time imaging typically has compromised spatial and temporal resolution compared with gated, segmented studies. To combine the best features of both types of imaging, a new method is proposed that uses parallel imaging to improve temporal resolution of real‐time acquired images at the expense of signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), but then produces an SNR‐enhanced cine by means of respiratory motion‐corrected averaging of images acquired in real‐time over multiple heartbeats while free‐breathing. The retrospective processing based on image‐based navigators and nonrigid image registration is fully automated. The proposed method was compared with conventional cine images in 21 subjects. The resultant image quality for the proposed method (3.9 ± 0.44) was comparable to the conventional cine (4.2 ± 0.99) on a 5‐point scale ( P = not significant [n.s.]). The conventional method exhibited degraded image quality in cases of arrhythmias whereas the proposed method had uniformly good quality. Motion‐corrected averaging of real‐time acquired cardiac images provides a means of attaining high‐quality cine images with many of the benefits of real‐time imaging, such as free‐breathing acquisition and tolerance to arrhythmias. Magn Reson Med, 2007. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.