Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Quantification of Mouse Heart Left Ventricular Function, Myocardial Strain, and Hemodynamic Forces by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: May 24, 2021
Correction for heart rate variability during 3D whole heart MR coronary angiography
Stijntje D Roes1, Grigorios Korosoglou, Michael Schär
1Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Insights
Real-time adaptive trigger delay significantly improved vessel sharpness and subjective image quality in coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). This technique enhances image clarity, particularly in the middle segments of the right coronary artery (RCA) and left anterior descending artery (LAD).
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Medical Engineering
Background:
- Heart rate variability poses a challenge for achieving high-quality coronary MR angiography (MRA).
- Consistent image quality is crucial for accurate diagnosis and assessment of coronary artery disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a real-time adaptive trigger delay on image quality in 3D whole-heart coronary MRA.
- To determine if adaptive trigger delay can effectively mitigate artifacts caused by heart rate variability.
Main Methods:
- Twelve healthy adults participated in 3D whole-heart coronary MRA scans.
- Scans were performed with both constant and adaptive trigger delay techniques.
- Image quality metrics including signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise, vessel length, vessel sharpness, and subjective quality were evaluated.
Main Results:
- Vessel sharpness in the middle segment of the right coronary artery (RCA) showed significant improvement with adaptive trigger delay (52.3% vs 48.9%, P=0.026).
- Subjective image quality was significantly better in the middle segments of the RCA and left anterior descending artery (LAD) using the adaptive trigger delay.
Conclusions:
- Adaptive trigger delay effectively enhances image quality in 3D whole-heart coronary MRA.
- Improvements are most notable in the middle segments of the RCA and LAD, addressing motion artifacts from heart rate variability.
Purpose:
To evaluate the effect of a real-time adaptive trigger delay on image quality to correct for heart rate variability in 3D whole-heart coronary MR angiography (MRA).
Materials And Methods:
Twelve healthy adults underwent 3D whole-heart coronary MRA with and without the use of an adaptive trigger delay. The moment of minimal coronary artery motion was visually determined on a high temporal resolution MRI. Throughout the scan performed without adaptive trigger delay, trigger delay was kept constant, whereas during the scan performed with adaptive trigger delay, trigger delay was continuously updated after each RR-interval using physiological modeling. Signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise, vessel length, vessel sharpness, and subjective image quality were compared in a blinded manner.
Results:
Vessel sharpness improved significantly for the middle segment of the right coronary artery (RCA) with the use of the adaptive trigger delay (52.3 +/- 7.1% versus 48.9 +/- 7.9%, P = 0.026). Subjective image quality was significantly better in the middle segments of the RCA and left anterior descending artery (LAD) when the scan was performed with adaptive trigger delay compared to constant trigger delay.
Conclusion:
Our results demonstrate that the use of an adaptive trigger delay to correct for heart rate variability improves image quality mainly in the middle segments of the RCA and LAD.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System IV: CMRI
01:24Cardiac Catheterization III: Left Heart Catheterization