Effect of through-plane motion on left ventricular rotation: a study using slice-following harmonic phase imaging

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular imaging
• Cardiac mechanics
• Medical physics

Background:

• Noninvasive quantification of left ventricular rotation aids in understanding cardiac function.
• Current methods often neglect through-plane myocardial motion, potentially leading to inaccuracies.
• Accurate rotation measurements are vital for diagnosing and managing cardiac conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for quantifying regional left ventricular rotation that accounts for through-plane motion.
• To compare rotation and torsion measurements from the new method with conventional techniques.
• To assess the impact of through-plane motion on the accuracy of left ventricular rotation and torsion quantification.

Main Methods:

• Combined slice-following tagged imaging with harmonic phase analysis.
• Acquired imaging datasets from normal volunteers.
• Compared rotation and torsion measurements with and without accounting for through-plane motion.

Main Results:

• Observed substantial errors in peak average rotation: 58% for basal, -6.6% for midventricular, and -8.5% for apical slices.
• Found an average error of 19% in base-to-apex torsion when through-plane motion was ignored.
• Demonstrated differences in rotation-time plots and rotation-strain loops between methods.

Conclusions:

• Accounting for through-plane motion is critical for accurate left ventricular rotation quantification.
• An inherent base-to-apex gradient in left ventricular rotation necessitates consideration of through-plane motion.
• The developed method offers improved accuracy for noninvasive cardiac function assessment.