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ABSTRACT: PURPOSE: To demonstrate the feasibility of performing single breathhold, noncardiac gated, ultrafast, high spatial-temporal resolution whole chest MR pulmonary perfusion imaging in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight subjects (five male, three female) were scanned with the proposed method on a 3 Tesla clinical scanner using a 32-channel phased-array coil. Seven (88%) were healthy volunteers, and one was a patient volunteer with sarcoidosis. The peak lung enhancement phase for each subject was scored for gravitational effect, peak parenchymal enhancement and severity of artifacts by three cardiothoracic radiologists independently. RESULTS: All studies were successfully performed by MR technologists without any additional training. Mean parenchymal signal was very good, measuring 0.78 ± 0.13 (continuous scale, 0 = "none" → 1 = "excellent"). Mean level of motion artifacts was low, measuring 0.13 ± 0.08 (continuous scale, 0 = "none" → 1 = "severe"). CONCLUSION: It is feasible to perform single breathhold, noncardiac gated, ultrafast, high spatial-temporal resolution whole chest MR pulmonary perfusion imaging in humans. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 01/2013; · 2.70 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: For MR applications such as contrast-enhanced MR angiography, it is desirable to achieve simultaneously high spatial and temporal resolution. The current clinical standard uses view-sharing methods combined with parallel imaging; however, this approach still provides limited spatial and temporal resolution. To improve on the clinical standard, we present an interleaved variable density (IVD) sampling method that pseudorandomly undersamples each individual frame of a 3D Cartesian ky-kz plane combined with parallel imaging acceleration. From this dataset, time-resolved images are reconstructed with a method that combines parallel imaging with a multiplicative constraint. Total acceleration factors on the order of 20 are achieved for contrast-enhanced MR angiography of the lower extremities, and improvements in temporal fidelity of the depiction of the contrast bolus passage are demonstrated relative to the clinical standard.
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 02/2011; 66(2):428-36. · 2.96 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To assess the feasibility and the quality of abdominal three-dimensional (3D) contrast enhanced MR angiograms acquired at 3.0 Tesla (T) using a new 2D-accelerated autocalibrating parallel reconstruction method for Cartesian sampling (2D-ARC).
With institutional review board approval and written informed consent, a prospective trial in 6 normal healthy volunteers and 23 patients referred for evaluation of suspected renovascular disease was performed. The volunteers underwent abdominal MRA with and without 2D-ARC acceleration. Images were evaluated independently by two blinded vascular radiologists in randomized order. Vessel conspicuity was rated on a five-point scale. Evaluation for significant differences between the scores for each technique was performed using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
In the series of six volunteers, no statistical significance was found between the image quality scores for 2D-ARC accelerated and nonaccelerated exams. A high proportion of the 23 clinical 2D-ARC exams were graded as diagnostic (vessel conspicuity score >or=2; Reader 1, 96%; Reader 2, 100%) for overall image quality.
Subjective image quality of 2D-ARC accelerated MRA was equivalent to the conventional MRA method. However, the 2D-ARC accelerated sequence provided a 3.5-fold increase in imaging volume, complete abdominal coverage, and a 30% reduction in voxel volume, all within the same acquisition time.
Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 11/2009; 30(5):1093-100. · 2.70 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this work is to detect dynamic gas trapping in three dimensions during forced exhalation at isotropic high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution using hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI. Ten subjects underwent hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI and multidetector CT. MRI was performed throughout inspiration, breath-hold, and forced expiration. A multiecho three-dimensional projection acquisition was used to improve data collection efficiency and an iterative constrained reconstruction was implemented to improve signal to noise ratio (SNR) and increase robustness to motion. Two radiologists evaluated the dynamic MRI and breath-held multidetector CT data for gas and air trapping, respectively. Phantom studies showed the proposed technique significantly improved depiction of moving objects compared to view-sharing methods. Gas trapping was detected using MRI in five of the six asthmatic subjects who displayed air trapping with multidetector CT. Locations in disagreement were found to represent small to moderate regions of air trapping. The proposed technique provides whole-lung three-dimensional imaging of respiration dynamics at high spatial and temporal resolution and compares well to the current standard, multidetector CT. While multidetector CT can provide information about static regional air trapping, it is unable to depict dynamics in a setting more comparable to a spirometry maneuver and explore the longitudinal time evolution of the trapped regions.
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 09/2009; 62(6):1543-56. · 2.96 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The objective of our study was to compare the diagnostic performance of coronary MR angiography (MRA) and 64-MDCT angiography (MDCTA) for the detection of significant stenosis (> or = 50%) in patients with high calcium scores.
Eighteen patients (12 men, six women; mean age, 56 y; age range, 38-77 y) who had at least one calcified plaque with a calcium score of > 100 underwent coronary MRA and conventional coronary angiography (CAG) within 2 weeks of MDCTA. Coronary MRA image quality of the calcified segments was assessed by two observers in consensus on a 4-point scale (1 = not visible, 2 = poor, 3 = good, 4 = excellent) using a 10-segment model from the modified American Heart Association classification. Three experienced radiologists, unaware of the results of conventional CAG, independently assessed for the presence of significant stenosis on MDCTA images and the corresponding MRA images. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated for each reader using conventional CAG as the gold standard.
Thirty-three calcified plaques with a calcium score of > 100 were detected on MDCTA in the 18 patients. The coronary segments with nodal calcification (n = 17) showed a higher mean image quality score than the segments with diffuse calcification (n = 16) (3.47 +/- 0.62 vs 2.94 +/- 0.77, respectively; p < 0.05). Of the 33 coronary segments with calcification, 12 significant stenoses were identified on conventional CAG. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) for MRA and MDCTA, respectively, were as follows: reader 1, 75%, 81%, 0.82 versus 75%, 48%, 0.68; reader 2, 83%, 71%, 0.82 versus 67%, 52%, 0.63; and reader 3, 83%, 71%, 0.85 versus 83%, 43%, 0.65, respectively. The average AUC of MRA for the three readers was significantly higher than that of MDCTA (p = 0.030).
Coronary MRA has higher image quality for coronary segments with nodal calcification than for coronary segments with diffuse calcification. Coronary MRA has better diagnostic performance than coronary MDCTA for the detection of significant stenosis in patients with high calcium scores.
American Journal of Roentgenology 12/2007; 189(6):1326-32. · 2.78 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Coronary artery x-ray angiography (XRA) is currently the gold standard for the assessment of coronary artery disease. A substantial minority of patients referred for coronary angiography have no significant coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate magnetization-prepared contrast-enhanced breath-hold volume-targeted imaging (MPCE-VCATS), a new 3-dimensional breath-hold coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) technique, in detecting hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenoses in a patient population, with XRA correlation.
A total of 19 subjects who were referred for conventional coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. ECG-triggered MPCE-VCATS coronary artery scans were acquired for the left main coronary artery (LCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and right coronary artery (RCA). Coronary MRA and XRA results were compared.
The overall sensitivity, accuracy, and negative predictive value for diagnosing any hemodynamically significant coronary artery disease (> or =50% diameter reduction) was 91%, 80%, and 90%, respectively. The sensitivity of the technique in the LCA, LAD, and RCA was 100%, 100% and 78%, respectively. The negative predictive value of the technique was 100%, 100%, and 71%, respectively.
MPCE-VCATS is a promising technique for coronary artery imaging. It has a relatively high sensitivity as well as a high NPV. The results of the study may indicate a future role for the technique in obviating the need for some patients to undergo XRA.
Investigative Radiology 08/2006; 41(8):639-44. · 4.59 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To build a database of arm-to-aorta circulation times for contrast enhancement and to determine if measured transit times can help in discrimination between patients with and patients without heart disease.
Findings at test-bolus examinations performed before acquisition of contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiographic images of the head and neck were retrospectively reviewed. The times from test-bolus injection to first and peak enhancement in regions of interest were recorded in 77 patients with coronary artery disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, and/or impaired left ventricular function and 33 control subjects. Transit times in patients and control subjects were compared with Student t test. Linear regression was performed to measure the correlation coefficient.
Transit times in patients with heart disease, including those with a normal ejection fraction, were significantly prolonged compared with those in control subjects (P <.05). Mean time to peak enhancement in the carotid artery bifurcation was 16.6 seconds +/- 1.9 (SD) and 20.8 seconds +/- 3.9 in control subjects and patients, respectively. Threshold value of 18 seconds for time to peak signal intensity in the carotid artery bifurcation provided highest combination of sensitivity and specificity. All (11 of 11) patients with an ejection fraction less than 40% and only three (9%) of 33 control subjects had circulation times greater than this threshold. No significant correlation was found between transit times and age, sex, weight, and height.
Transit times measured with MR imaging may help in discrimination between patients with and patients without heart disease, independently of other cardiac functional parameters.
Radiology 05/2003; 227(2):447-52. · 5.73 Impact Factor
