Motion robust coronary MR angiography using zigzag centric ky-kz trajectory and high-resolution deep learning...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Magnetic Resonance Coronary Angiography (MRCA) is crucial for non-invasive cardiac assessment.
• Traditional MRCA techniques can be limited by long scan times and suboptimal image quality.
• Advancements in k-space trajectories and image reconstruction are needed to improve MRCA efficiency and diagnostic performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel MRCA technique using a zigzag fan-shaped centric k_y-k_z k-space trajectory.
• To integrate this novel trajectory with high-resolution deep learning reconstruction (HR-DLR) for enhanced image quality.
• To assess the feasibility and performance of this combined approach in healthy subjects and patients.

Main Methods:

• Acquired MRCA data from 12 healthy subjects and 2 patients using 3-T MRI scanners.
• Compared a standard 3D fast gradient echo (sFGE) sequence with the proposed centric k_y-k_z FGE (cFGE) sequence in 10 healthy subjects.
• Quantitatively assessed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and vessel sharpness.
• Evaluated image quality using a 5-point scale and compared cFGE with HR-DLR against sFGE without HR-DLR.

Main Results:

• The cFGE technique with HR-DLR achieved MRCA scans in under 5 minutes with nearly 100% efficiency, compared to ~15 minutes for sFGE.
• Overall image quality scores improved significantly with cFGE and HR-DLR (3.6) compared to sFGE (3.3) and cFGE without HR-DLR (2.7).
• Quantitative measures of SNR, CNR, and vessel sharpness were superior with the cFGE and HR-DLR approach. Clinical cases demonstrated good image quality, even with stents.

Conclusions:

• The developed MRCA technique offers a robust and time-efficient solution for high-quality cardiac imaging.
• This approach enhances patient comfort by reducing scan duration.
• The improved efficiency and image quality have the potential to increase clinical throughput for MRCA procedures.