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Two-dimensional coronary MR angiography without breath holding
J N Oshinski1, L Hofland, S Mukundan
1Frederik Philips Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Radiology
|December 1, 1996
Summary
Real-time respiratory gating can eliminate breath holding in coronary magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. This technique improves image quality and patient tolerance for better cardiac assessments.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Breath-holding is often required for coronary magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, which can be challenging for patients.
- Respiratory motion artifacts degrade image quality in cardiac MR imaging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of real-time respiratory gating in eliminating breath holding for two-dimensional coronary MR imaging.
- To compare image quality and signal-to-noise ratio between breath-hold and respiratory-gated techniques.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-one subjects (20 healthy, 11 patients) underwent coronary MR imaging.
- Respiratory gating was implemented using either a respiratory monitoring belt or a navigator echo.
- Image quality was assessed by three blinded reviewers on a 1-5 scale.
Main Results:
- Respiratory gating with two signals acquired yielded superior image quality (3.7) compared to breath-hold imaging (3.0) (P < .05).
- Signal-to-noise ratio was higher with respiratory gating (14.5) than with breath holding (11.9).
- Navigator-echo gating provided better image quality than the monitoring belt (3.7 vs 3.1, P < .05).
Conclusions:
- Real-time respiratory gating effectively eliminates the need for breath holding in coronary MR imaging.
- This technique improves image resolution, alignment of coronary artery sections, and patient tolerance.
- Respiratory gating represents a significant advancement for cardiac MR imaging.