Simultaneous myocardial strain and dark‐blood perfusion imaging using a displacement‐encoded MRI pulse sequence

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a displacement‐encoded pulse sequence for simultaneous perfusion and strain imaging. Displacement‐encoded images in two to three myocardial slices were repeatedly acquired using a single‐shot pulse sequence for 3 to 4 min, which covers a bolus infusion of Gadolinium contrast. The magnitudes of the images were T 1 weighted and provided quantitative measures of perfusion, while the phase maps yielded strain measurements. In an acute coronary occlusion swine protocol ( n = 9), segmental perfusion measurements were validated against microsphere reference standard with a linear regression (slope 0.986, R 2 = 0.765, Bland‐Altman standard deviation = 0.15 mL/min/g). In a group of ST‐elevation myocardial infarction patients ( n = 11), the scan success rate was 76%. Short‐term contrast washout rate and perfusion are highly correlated ( R 2 = 0.72), and the pixelwise relationship between circumferential strain and perfusion was better described with a sigmoidal Hill curve than linear functions. This study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring strain and perfusion from a single set of images. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.