Three-dimensional coronary dark-blood interleaved with gray-blood (cDIG) magnetic resonance imaging at 3 tesla

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Three-dimensional (3D) dark-blood MRI is valuable for coronary artery plaque assessment.
• Superficial calcification in plaques presents quantification challenges due to low signal intensity.
• A novel technique is needed to overcome limitations in current coronary MRI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a 3D coronary dark-blood interleaved with gray-blood (cDIG) MRI technique.
• To address signal variability caused by superficial calcification in coronary plaque imaging.
• To improve the accuracy of coronary artery plaque evaluation using MRI.

Main Methods:

• The cDIG technique utilizes a balanced steady-state free precession readout with local re-inversion-based double-inversion-recovery (LocReInv-DIR) preparation.
• Dual contrasts (dark-blood and gray-blood) are acquired sequentially within interleaved RR intervals.
• Independent navigators were employed for enhanced respiratory gating efficiency in interleaved acquisitions.
• In vivo experiments were performed on healthy subjects and a patient to validate the technique.

Main Results:

• The cDIG technique successfully provided dual contrasts without increasing scan time.
• Dark-blood images demonstrated excellent signal performance for the vessel wall and lumen, with accurate morphological measurements.
• The additional gray-blood contrast provided by cDIG aided in identifying superficial calcification in a patient's coronary plaque.

Conclusions:

• A novel 3D MRI technique (cDIG) was developed for simultaneous 3D coronary vessel wall and gray lumen imaging.
• The dual-contrast capability of cDIG may assist in identifying calcified nodules.
• This technique has the potential to improve the comprehensive evaluation of coronary plaque burden.