High-resolution MRI of cardiac function with projection reconstruction and steady-state free precession

The purpose of this study was to investigate the trabecular structure of the endocardial wall of the living human heart, and the effect of that structure on the measurement of myocardial function using MRI. High-resolution MR images (0.8 x 0.8 x 8 mm voxels) of cardiac function were obtained in five volunteers using a combination of undersampled projection reconstruction (PR) and steady-state free precession (SSFP) contrast in ECG-gated breath-held scans. These images provide movies of cardiac function with new levels of endocardial detail. The trabecular-papillary muscle complex, consisting of a mixture of blood and endocardial structures, is measured to constitute as much as 50% of the myocardial wall in some sectors. Myocardial wall strain measurements derived from tagged MR images show correlation between regions of trabeculae and papillary muscles and regions of high strain, leading to an overestimation of function in the lateral wall.