Evaluation of left ventricular inflow and volume by MR

Considerable progress has been achieved during the past few years in the evaluation of intracardial blood flow by MR. Similar to ultrasound Doppler, it is possible now to registrate parameters of left ventricular diastolic filling as E/A ratio, velocity time integral of A- to E-wave (A(area)/E(area)), or isovolumetric relaxation time index. A total of 24 patients (7 women, 17 men, aged 24-69 yr) were examined, 5 of whom suffered from a hypertensive heart disease, 5 from a coronary heart disease, and 7 from mitral valve stenosis of various degree; 7 showed normal findings. E/A-ratio, A(area)/E(area), as well as isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) were evaluated by two different examiners on the same day by MR and ultrasound-Doppler, showing correlation factors of .89 for E/A ratio, .67 for A(area)/E(area), and .76 for IVRT in comparing both techniques. Additionally, to test the potential for making left ventricular function diagnoses from MR, time-volume curves for normal cases and patients with hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy were elaborated by a computer-assisted 3D imaging technique. This technique showed good concordance with the results from cardiac catheterization or radionuclide ventriculography.