Navigator-gated free-breathing three-dimensional balanced fast field echo (TrueFISP) coronary magnetic resonance angiography

• Published in: Investigative radiology Vol. 37; no. 11; p. 637
• Main Authors: Spuentrup, Elmar, Bornert, Peter, Botnar, Rene M, Groen, Jan P, Manning, Warren J, Stuber, Matthias
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.2002
• Subjects: Adult; Coronary Disease - diagnosis; Female; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Magnetic Resonance Angiography - methods; Male; Middle Aged
• ISSN: 0020-9996
• DOI: 10.1097/00004424-200211000-00008

Recent developments of MR imaging equipment enabled high-quality steady state-free-precession (Balanced FFE, True-FISP) MR-imaging with a substantial 'T2 like' contrast, resulting in a high signal intensity of the blood-pool without the application of exogenous contrast agents. It is hypothesized that Balanced-FFE may be valuable for contrast enhancement in 3D free-breathing coronary MRA. Navigator-gated free-breathing cardiac triggered coronary MRA was performed in 10 healthy adult subjects and three patients with radiograph defined coronary artery disease using a segmented k-space 3D Balanced FFE imaging sequence. High contrast-to-noise ratio between the blood-pool and the myocardium (29 +/- 8) and long segment visualization of both coronary arteries could be obtained in about 5 minutes during free breathing using the present navigator-gated Balanced-FFE coronary MRA approach. First patient results demonstrated successful display of coronary artery stenoses. Balanced FFE offers a potential alternative for endogenous contrast enhancement in navigator-gated free-breathing 3D coronary MRA. The obtained results together with the relatively short scanning time warrant further studies in larger patient collectives.