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Dark flow artifacts with steady-state free precession cine MR technique: causes and implications for cardiac MR

Wei Li1, Pippa Storey, Qun Chen

  • 1Evanston Hospital and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 2650 Ridge Ave, Room 5108, Evanston, IL 60201, USA. lwei@enh.org

Radiology
|January 31, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Dark flow artifacts in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging are caused by spins moving in inhomogeneous magnetic fields. These artifacts appear as dark or uneven signal intensity in blood pools during cine imaging.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Imaging
  • Physics
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is crucial for cardiovascular assessment.
  • Artifacts can compromise diagnostic accuracy in CMR.
  • Dark flow artifacts are a potential source of misinterpretation in cine imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize dark flow artifacts in steady-state free precession cine cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.
  • To investigate the underlying causes and features of these artifacts.
  • To differentiate these artifacts from true pathology.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 24 cardiac magnetic resonance imaging studies.
  • Analysis of steady-state free precession cine sequences.
  • Flow phantom experiments to simulate and study artifact generation.
  • Deliberate gradient deshimming and off-centered frequency imaging in phantom studies.

Main Results:

  • Dark flow artifacts were identified in 8 out of 24 patient cases.
  • Artifacts presented as low or inhomogeneous signal intensity within blood pools.
  • Adjacent tissues showed minimal signal changes.
  • Phantom experiments successfully mimicked artifacts by gradient deshimming and off-centered frequencies.
  • Artifacts were linked to spin movement within an inhomogeneous magnetic field.

Conclusions:

  • Dark flow artifacts in cardiac MRI are attributable to spins moving in inhomogeneous magnetic fields.
  • These artifacts manifest as signal voids or heterogeneity in blood pools.
  • Understanding these artifacts is essential for accurate interpretation of cardiac MRI cine sequences.
  • Proper identification can prevent misdiagnosis of cardiovascular conditions.

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