Measurement of coronary blood flow velocity during handgrip exercise using breath-hold velocity encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging
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Published on: May 24, 2021
S Globits1, H Sakuma, A Shimakawa
1Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco, 94143-0628, USA.
Insights
Handgrip exercise significantly increases coronary blood flow velocity in the left anterior descending artery. This study used breath-hold velocity encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging to measure blood flow changes during exercise.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Assessing coronary blood flow is crucial for understanding cardiac health.
- Non-invasive imaging techniques are valuable for evaluating myocardial perfusion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure coronary blood flow velocity during handgrip exercise.
- To evaluate the impact of isometric exercise on coronary hemodynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized breath-hold velocity encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- Measured peak diastolic coronary flow velocity in the left anterior descending artery.
- Handgrip exercise was performed to induce physiological stress.
Main Results:
- Baseline peak diastolic coronary flow velocity was 20.6 cm/s.
- Post-exercise velocity increased significantly to 31.1 cm/s.
- Observed a 50.7% increase in flow velocity (p <0.01).
Conclusions:
- Handgrip exercise induces a significant hyperemic response in the coronary arteries.
- Velocity encoded cine MRI is effective for quantifying exercise-induced changes in coronary blood flow.
Abstract:
Coronary blood flow velocity was measured during handgrip exercise using breath-hold velocity encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging. Peak diastolic coronary flow velocity in the left anterior descending artery was 20.6 +/- 9.3 cm/s (mean +/- SD) at baseline and increased significantly to 31.1 +/- 16.4 cm/s after exercise (50.7 +/- 31.3% increase, p <0.01).

