Strain maps of the left atrium imaged with a novel high-resolution CINE MRI protocol

To date, regional atrial strains have not been imaged in vivo, despite their potential to provide useful clinical information. To address this gap, we present a novel CINE MRI protocol capable of imaging the entire left atrium at an isotropic 2-mm resolution in one single breath-hold. As proof of principle, we acquired data in 10 healthy volunteers and 2 cardiovascular patients using this technique. We also demonstrated how regional atrial strains can be estimated from this data following a manual segmentation of the left atrium using automatic image tracking techniques. The estimated principal strains vary smoothly across the left atrium and have a similar magnitude to estimates reported in the literature.