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Improved visualization of non‐transmural scar using slice‐selective inversion‐recovery delayed contrast‐enhanced MRI: a preliminary report
Author(s) -
Kim Daniel,
Lee Vivian S.,
Srichai Monvadi B.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
nmr in biomedicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.278
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1099-1492
pISSN - 0952-3480
DOI - 10.1002/nbm.1097
Subject(s) - medicine , subtraction , nuclear medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , biomedical engineering , radiology , arithmetic , mathematics
Delayed contrast‐enhanced MRI (ce‐MRI) pulse sequence is a promising modality for the assessment of myocardial viability. However, conventional ce‐MRI using a non‐selective inversion recovery (IR) pulse can often yield poor edge definition or contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) between the non‐transmural scar and blood (i.e. the blood and scar appear isointense). Subtraction and multicontrast ce‐MRI methods can be used to improve the CNR between the non‐transmural scar and blood, but they require two image acquisitions. The authors have developed a single‐acquisition ce‐MRI pulse sequence that utilizes a slice‐selective IR pulse to generate bright‐blood contrast using inflow effects for an improved edge definition between the non‐transmural scar and blood. Six patients with myocardial infarction were imaged at 1.5 T using both non‐selective and slice‐selective IR ce‐MRI acquisitions with identical imaging parameters. The CNR between the non‐transmural scar and normal myocardium was not different between the two acquisitions. The CNR between the blood and non‐transmural scar (16.9 ± 12.3 versus 3.2 ± 7.9; p < 0.001) was significantly higher for the slice‐selective IR acquisition than for the non‐selective IR acquisition. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a slice‐selective IR pulse to improve the visualization of a non‐transmural scar in ce‐MRI, without increasing the acquisition time. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.