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Magnetic resonance multitasking for multidimensional assessment of cardiovascular system: Development and feasibility study on the thoracic aorta
Author(s) -
Hu Zhehao,
Christodoulou Anthony G.,
Wang Nan,
Shaw Jaime L.,
Song Shlee S.,
Maya Marcel M.,
Ishimori Mariko L.,
Forbess Lindsy J.,
Xiao Jiayu,
Bi Xiaoming,
Han Fei,
Li Debiao,
Fan Zhaoyang
Publication year - 2020
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.28275
Subject(s) - human multitasking , magnetic resonance imaging , thoracic aorta , aorta , medicine , radiology , computer science , nuclear magnetic resonance , cardiology , psychology , physics , neuroscience
Purpose To develop an MR multitasking‐based multidimensional assessment of cardiovascular system (MT‐MACS) with electrocardiography‐free and navigator‐free data acquisition for a comprehensive evaluation of thoracic aortic diseases. Methods The MT‐MACS technique adopts a low‐rank tensor image model with a cardiac time dimension for phase‐resolved cine imaging and a T 2 ‐prepared inversion‐recovery dimension for multicontrast assessment. Twelve healthy subjects and 2 patients with thoracic aortic diseases were recruited for the study at 3 T, and both qualitative (image quality score) and quantitative (contrast‐to‐noise ratio between lumen and wall, lumen and wall area, and aortic strain index) analyses were performed in all healthy subjects. The overall image quality was scored based on a 4‐point scale: 3, excellent; 2, good; 1, fair; and 0, poor. Statistical analysis was used to test the measurement agreement between MT‐MACS and its corresponding 2D references. Results The MT‐MACS images reconstructed from acquisitions as short as 6 minutes demonstrated good or excellent image quality for bright‐blood (2.58 ± 0.46), dark‐blood (2.58 ± 0.50), and gray‐blood (2.17 ± 0.53) contrast weightings, respectively. The contrast‐to‐noise ratios for the three weightings were 49.2 ± 12.8, 20.0 ± 5.8 and 2.8 ± 1.8, respectively. There were good agreements in the lumen and wall area (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.993, P < .001 for lumen; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.969, P < .001 for wall area) and strain (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.947, P < .001) between MT‐MACS and conventional 2D sequences. Conclusion The MT‐MACS technique provides high‐quality, multidimensional images for a comprehensive assessment of the thoracic aorta. Technical feasibility was demonstrated in healthy subjects and patients with thoracic aortic diseases. Further clinical validation is warranted.