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Time-resolved analysis of coronary vein motion and cross-sectional area
Jonathan D Suever1, Pierre J Watson, Robert L Eisner
1Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology / Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Purpose:
To quantify periods of low motion and cross-sectional area changes of the coronary veins during the cardiac cycle for planning magnetic resonance coronary venograms (MRCV).
Materials And Methods:
Images were acquired from 19 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 13 patients scheduled for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The displacement and cross-sectional area of the coronary sinus was tracked, and periods of low motion were defined as consecutive time points during which the position of the coronary sinus remained within a 0.67-mm diameter region. Patients were classified as systolic dominant or diastolic dominant based on the relative duration of their low motion periods.
Results:
All CRT patients were classified as systolic dominant, and 32% of these had no separate diastolic rest period. All CAD patients with ejection fraction < 35% were classified as systolic dominant, while all CAD patients with ejection fraction > 35%were diastolic dominant. In 77% of all subjects, the cross-sectional area of the coronary sinus was larger in systole than in diastole.
Conclusion:
The movement of the coronary sinus can be used to classify patients as either having a longer systolic or diastolic rest period. The classification of the CRT patients as systolic dominant suggests that MRCVs be acquired in systole for CRT planning; however, each patient's low motion periods should be categorized to ensure the correct period is being used to minimize motion artifacts.
