Quantitative assessment of ventricular function using three-dimensional SSFP magnetic resonance angiography

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Ventricular Function Assessment

Background:

• Accurate volumetric assessment of ventricular function is crucial for cardiovascular diagnosis.
• Free-breathing techniques are desirable to improve patient comfort and reduce motion artifacts.
• Steady-state free precession (SSFP) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) offers potential for rapid, high-resolution imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of three-dimensional (3D), free-breathing, SSFP MRA for volumetric assessment of ventricular function.
• To compare 3D SSFP MRA volumetric measurements with through-plane flow measurements.
• To assess intra- and interobserver variability of the 3D SSFP MRA technique.

Main Methods:

• 18 subjects underwent ECG-triggered, free-breathing 3D SSFP MRA at end-systole and end-diastole.
• Ventricular volumes were analyzed using a simplex mesh model with exclusion of papillary muscles.
• Through-plane flow measurements and 2D-cine SSFP imaging were performed for comparison.

Main Results:

• Successful acquisition of 3D SSFP datasets in all subjects.
• Strong correlations between 3D SSFP stroke volumes and flow measurements for both left ventricle (LV) (r=0.85) and right ventricle (RV) (r=0.89).
• High intra- and interobserver reproducibility for LV (r=0.93, r=0.91) and RV (r=0.94, r=0.93) stroke volume measurements.

Conclusions:

• 3D SSFP MRA provides accurate and reproducible volumetric assessment of LV and RV stroke volumes.
• Semiautomatic segmentation algorithms enhance the reliability of ventricular function evaluation.
• This free-breathing technique is a valuable tool for assessing ventricular function without respiratory gating.