Reduction of organ motion by combined cardiac gating and respiratory gating
Zhiheng Wang1, Christopher G Willett, Fang-Fang Yin
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. zhiheng.wang@duke.edu
Insights
Combining cardiac and respiratory gating significantly reduces organ motion artifacts in MRI scans. This dual-gating approach enhances image quality for both the heart and liver, improving diagnostic accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Radiology
- Cardiovascular Imaging
Background:
- Organ motion during Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, particularly of the heart and liver, can lead to significant artifacts.
- Respiratory and cardiac movements are primary sources of motion, impacting image quality and diagnostic precision.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of combining cardiac gating with respiratory gating to further minimize organ motion artifacts in MRI.
- To quantify the reduction in motion effects on heart and liver imaging using different gating strategies.
Main Methods:
- Fast cine MRI scans were performed on axial and coronal planes of the heart and liver.
- Three gating conditions were tested: no gating, respiratory gating only, and combined respiratory and cardiac gating.
- Motion effects were analyzed using probability maps to quantify artifact reduction.
Main Results:
- Respiratory gating alone reduced motion artifacts by up to 20.8% in the coronal slices for the heart and liver.
- Combined cardiac and respiratory gating further reduced motion artifacts, with reductions of up to 13.6% (heart, coronal) and 7.0% (liver, coronal).
- The dual-gating strategy demonstrated superior artifact reduction compared to respiratory gating alone across both organs and imaging planes.
Conclusions:
- The combined application of cardiac and respiratory gating effectively reduces organ motion artifacts in MRI.
- This advanced gating technique shows promise for improving image quality in applications such as treatment planning, warranting further investigation.
Purpose:
To investigate whether the effect of organ motion can be further reduced with the application of a cardiac gating technique, together with respiratory gating.
Methods And Materials:
Axial and coronal images through the heart and liver were continuously scanned with fast cine magnetic resonance imaging scans at three different gating settings: (1) without respiratory and cardiac gating; (2) with respiratory gating, but without cardiac gating; and (3) with both respiratory and cardiac gating. The effect of motion for either the heart or liver was analyzed with probability maps.
Results:
With the application of respiratory gating only, the marginal region on the probability map was reduced by 10.0% in the axial slice and 19.8% in the coronal slice for the heart. It was reduced by 5.2% in the axial slice and 20.8% in the coronal slice for the liver. With the application of cardiac gating together with respiratory gating, the marginal region on the probability map was reduced further. The reduction was 8.0% in the axial slice and 13.6% in the coronal slice for the heart and 5.9% in the axial slice and 7.0% in the coronal slice for the liver.
Conclusion:
The effect of organ motion can be further reduced with the application of cardiac gating together with respiratory gating. The potential application to treatment planning merits further investigation.
