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Global myocardial blood flow and global flow reserve measurements by MRI and PET are comparable
J W Koskenvuo1, H Sakuma, P Niemi
1Department of Clinical Physiology, Turku University Central Hospital, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland. jukkos@utu.fi
Insights
Velocity-encoded cine MRI accurately measures myocardial blood flow and coronary flow reserve, offering a valuable tool for assessing cardiac health and vascular function in early stages.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Diagnostic Cardiology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Coronary flow reserve (CFR) is crucial for assessing coronary artery stenosis, outperforming traditional angiography in predicting cardiac events.
- Myocardial blood flow (MBF) can be quantified using coronary sinus (CS) flow measurements.
- Velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging (VEC-MRI) offers a non-invasive method for CS flow assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare global myocardial blood flow (MBF) and CFR measured by VEC-MRI against those measured by positron emission tomography (PET).
- To evaluate the accuracy and utility of VEC-MRI for assessing myocardial perfusion and coronary flow reserve.
Main Methods:
- MBF and CFR were measured at baseline and during dipyridamole-induced hyperemia in 12 healthy male volunteers.
- Measurements were performed using both VEC-MRI and PET imaging techniques.
- Correlation analysis was used to compare the results obtained from both modalities.
Main Results:
- VEC-MRI yielded MBF values of 0.64 ± 0.09 mL/min/g at baseline and 1.59 ± 0.79 mL/min/g at hyperemia, resulting in a CFR of 2.51 ± 1.29.
- PET measurements showed MBF of 0.65 ± 0.20 mL/min/g at baseline and 1.78 ± 0.72 mL/min/g at hyperemia, with a CFR of 2.79 ± 0.97.
- Strong correlations were observed between VEC-MRI and PET for both MBF (r = 0.82, P < 0.001) and CFR (r = 0.76, P < 0.004).
Conclusions:
- VEC-MRI is a useful and accurate method for measuring global MBF and CFR.
- The findings support the use of VEC-MRI for studying vascular function and risk factor modifications in early disease stages.
- VEC-MRI provides a reliable alternative to PET for assessing coronary flow reserve.
Abstract:
Coronary flow reserve (CFR) measurements have been widely used in assessing the functional significance of coronary artery stenosis because they are more sensitive in predicting major cardiac events than angiographically detected reductions of coronary arteries. Myocardial blood flow can be determined by measuring coronary sinus (CS) flow with velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging (VEC-MRI). The purpose of this study was to compare global myocardial blood flow (MBF) and CFR measured using VEC-MRI with MBF and CFR measured using positron emission tomography (PET). We measured MBF at baseline and after dipyridamole-induced hyperemia in 12 male volunteers with VEC-MRI and PET. With VEC-MRI, MBF was 0.64 +/- 0.09 (ml/min/g) at baseline and 1.59 +/- 0.79 (ml/min/g) at hyperemia, which yielded an average CFR of 2.51 +/- 1.29. With PET, MBF was 0.65 +/- 0.20 (ml/min/g) at baseline and 1.78 +/- 0.72 (ml/min/g) at hyperemia, which yielded an average CFR of 2.79 +/- 0.97. The correlation of MBFs between these two methods was good (r = 0.82, P < 0.001). The CFRs measured by MRI correlated well with those measured using PET (r = 0.76, P < 0.004). These results suggest that MRI is a useful and accurate method to measure global MBF and CFR. Therefore, it would be suitable for studying risk factor modifications of vascular function at an early stage in healthy volunteers.