Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging using an open 0.35 T system.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Physics
• Radiology

Background:

• Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial for diagnosing heart conditions.
• Open MRI systems offer advantages for specific patient populations, such as the claustrophobic or obese.
• Evaluating the efficacy of lower-field open MRI systems for cardiac assessment is important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diagnostic capabilities of a 0.35 Tesla (T) open magnetic resonance system for cardiac imaging.
• To determine the image quality and signal-to-noise ratio for different cardiac MRI sequences on this system.

Main Methods:

• Eleven patients underwent cardiac MRI using a 0.35 T open system.
• Cine true fast imaging with steady-state precession sequences were used for myocardial function assessment.
• T1-weighted gradient echo and inversion recovery-prepared fast gradient echo techniques were employed for perfusion and late enhancement imaging, respectively.

Main Results:

• Functional cardiac imaging achieved an average quality score of 1.65.
• Perfusion and late enhancement imaging yielded average scores of 2.25 and 2.6, respectively.
• Signal-noise ratios were 50.6 for functional, 91.8 for perfusion, and 33.2 for late enhancement imaging.

Conclusions:

• Lower-field open MRI (0.35 T) is adequate for assessing cardiac function.
• Higher magnetic field strengths are required for optimal perfusion and late enhancement (viability) imaging.
• Open low-field cardiac MRI presents a valuable alternative for patients who cannot tolerate standard MRI scanners.