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Quantitative analysis of transmural gradients in myocardial perfusion magnetic resonance images
Author(s) -
Hautvast G. L. T. F.,
Chiribiri A.,
Lockie T.,
Breeuwer M.,
Nagel E.,
Plein S.
Publication year - 2011
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.22930
Subject(s) - perfusion , intensity (physics) , magnetic resonance imaging , cardiology , nuclear magnetic resonance , medicine , nuclear medicine , radiology , physics , optics
Abstract Conventional quantitative assessments of myocardial perfusion analyze the temporal relation between the arterial input function and the myocardial signal intensity curves, thereby neglecting the important spatial relation between the myocardial signal intensity curves. The new method presented in this article enables characterization of sub‐endocardial to sub‐epicardial gradients in myocardial perfusion based on a two dimensional, “gradientogram” representation, which displays the evolution of the transmural gradient in myocardial contrast uptake over time in all circumferential positions of the acquired images. Moreover, based on segmentation in these gradientograms, several new measurements that characterize transmural myocardial perfusion distribution over time are defined. In application to clinical image data, the new two‐dimensional representations, as well as the newly defined measurements revealed a clear distinction between normal perfusion and inducible ischaemia. Thus, the new measurements may serve as diagnostic markers for the detection and characterization of epicardial coronary and microvascular disease. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.