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Routine breath-hold gradient echo MRI-derived right ventricular mass, volumes and function: accuracy, reproducibility
Farzin Beygui1, Alain Furber, Stéphane Delépine
1Nuclear Medicine and Biophysics Laboratory, University Hospital of Angers, France. farzin.beygui@psl.ap-hop-paris.fr
The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
|April 29, 2005
Summary
Routine breath-hold gradient echo MRI accurately assesses right ventricular (RV) mass, volumes, and function. This imaging technique demonstrates high reproducibility for evaluating RV function, crucial for predicting outcomes in heart disease patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a significant predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with various heart conditions.
- Conventional imaging methods often struggle with accurate assessment of RV volumes and function.
- Accurate RV assessment is critical for patient management and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of routine breath-hold gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing RV mass, volumes, and function.
- To compare MRI-derived RV mass with actual RV weight in a preclinical model.
- To determine the intra-observer, inter-observer, and inter-study reproducibility of RV parameters using this MRI technique.
Main Methods:
- In vivo MRI-derived RV mass was compared to actual RV weight in 9 minipigs.
- Reproducibility was assessed through intra- and inter-observer measurements of RV mass, end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), and ejection fraction (EF) in 15 healthy volunteers and 10 heart disease patients.
- Inter-study reproducibility was evaluated in 25 coronary artery disease patients.
- Correlation between right and left ventricular stroke volumes was analyzed.
Main Results:
- A strong correlation was found between MRI-derived RV mass and RV weight (r = 0.98).
- High intra-observer (e.g., RV mass r = 0.96, EF r = 0.92) and inter-observer (e.g., RV mass r = 0.95, EF r = 0.87) reproducibility was demonstrated for all assessed RV parameters.
- Excellent inter-study reproducibility was also observed (e.g., RV mass r = 0.91, EF r = 0.90).
- A strong correlation (r = 0.87) was found between MRI-derived right and left ventricular stroke volumes, indicating coherent biventricular assessment.
Conclusions:
- Routine breath-hold gradient echo MRI provides accurate and highly reproducible measurements of RV mass, volumes, and function.
- This MRI technique is reliable for simultaneous biventricular volume assessment.
- The findings support the use of this MRI method for clinical evaluation of RV status in heart disease.