Dental-dedicated MRI, a novel approach for dentomaxillofacial diagnostic imaging: technical specifications and feasibility.

MRI is a noninvasive, ionizing radiation-free imaging modality that has become an indispensable medical diagnostic method. The literature suggests MRI as a potential diagnostic modality in dentomaxillofacial radiology. However, current MRI equipment is designed for medical imaging (eg, brain and body imaging), with general-purpose use in radiology.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance-determined left ventricular myocardium impairment is associated with C-reactive protein and ST2 in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: Myocardial strain assessed with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking can detect early left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation quantitatively in patients with a variety of cardiovascular diseases, but this method has not yet been applied to quantify myocardial strain in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and no coexistent cardiovascular disease, i.e., the early stage of AF.

Author Correction: Distribution pattern of leftventricular myocardial strain analyzed by a cine MRI based deformation registration algorithm in healthy Chinese volunteers.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Impact of sequence type and field strength (1.5, 3, and 7T) on 4D flow MRI hemodynamic aortic parameters in healthy volunteers.

Purpose: 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (4D-MRI) allows time-resolved visualization of blood flow patterns, quantification of volumes, velocities, and advanced parameters, such as wall shear stress (WSS). As 4D-MRI enters the clinical arena, standardization and awareness of confounders are important. Our aim was to evaluate the equivalence of 4D flow-derived aortic hemodynamics in healthy volunteers using different sequences and field strengths.

Assessment of diastolic dysfunction: comparison of different cardiovascular magnetic resonance techniques.

Aims: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is still a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, and accurate non-invasive diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD) remains difficult. The current study aimed at identifying the most informative cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters for the assessment of LVDD.

Methods And Results: We prospectively included 50 patients and classified them into three groups: with DD (DD+, n = 15), without (DD-, n = 26), and uncertain (DD±, n = 9).

Right and left ventricle native T1 mapping in systolic phase in patients with congenital heart disease.

Background: T1 mapping is emerging as a powerful tool in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to evaluate diffuse fibrosis. However, right ventricular (RV) T1 mapping proves difficult due to the limited wall thickness in diastolic phase. Several studies focused on systolic T1 mapping, albeit only on the left ventricle (LV).

T mapping performance and measurement repeatability: results from the multi-national T mapping standardization phantom program (T1MES).

Background: The T Mapping and Extracellular volume (ECV) Standardization (T1MES) program explored T mapping quality assurance using a purpose-developed phantom with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Conformité Européenne (CE) regulatory clearance. We report T measurement repeatability across centers describing sequence, magnet, and vendor performance.

Methods: Phantoms batch-manufactured in August 2015 underwent 2 years of structural imaging, B and B, and "reference" slow T testing.

T1- and ECV-mapping in clinical routine at 3 T: differences between MOLLI, ShMOLLI and SASHA.

Background: T1 mapping sequences such as MOLLI, ShMOLLI and SASHA make use of different technical approaches, bearing strengths and weaknesses. It is well known that obtained T1 relaxation times differ between the sequence techniques as well as between different hardware. Yet, T1 quantification is a promising tool for myocardial tissue characterization, disregarding the absence of established reference values.

Non-contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for visualization and quantification of endovascular aortic prosthesis, their endoleaks and aneurysm sacs at 1.5 T.

Purpose: After an endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), a follow-up at 1, 6 and every 12 months is recommended for remainder of the patient's life. The diagnostic standard methods for diagnosing endoleaks and visualization of aneurysms in EVAR-patients are: invasive digital subtraction angiography (DSA), contrast enhanced (CE) computed tomographic angiography (CE-CTA), and magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA). These techniques, however, require the use of iodine- or gadolinium-based contrast agents with rare, but possibly life threatening side effects such as renal impairment, thyrotoxicosis and allergic reactions, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, and cerebral gadolinium deposition.

Predictors of Clinical Evolution in Prehypertrophic Fabry Disease.

Background: In prehypertrophic Fabry disease, low myocardial T1 values, reflecting sphingolipid storage, are associated with early structural and ECG changes. The correlations between T1 values and functional parameters have not been explored. Furthermore, the potential prognostic role of T1 in predicting disease worsening is still unknown.

Assessment of sympathetic reinnervation after cardiac transplantation using hybrid cardiac PET/MRI: A pilot study.

Background: Sympathetic reinnervation after heart transplantation (HTX) is a known phenomenon, which has an impact on patient heart rate variability and exercise capacity. The impact of reinnervation on myocardial structure has not been evaluated yet.

Propose: To evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous imaging of cardiac reinnervation and cardiac structure using a hybrid PET/MRI system.

Hybrid positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging for assessing different stages of cardiac impairment in patients with Anderson-Fabry disease: AFFINITY study group.

Aims: Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder associated with multi-organ dysfunction. While native myocardial T1 mapping by magnetic resonance (MR) allow non-invasive measurement of myocyte sphingolipid accumulation, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and MR are able to identify different pathological patterns of disease progression. We investigated the relationship between T1 mapping and 18F-FDG uptake by hybrid PET-MR cardiac imaging in AFD female patients.

Aortic 4D flow MRI in 2 minutes using compressed sensing, respiratory controlled adaptive k-space reordering, and inline reconstruction.

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of a free-breathing 4D flow technique using compressed sensing (CS), where 4D flow imaging of the thoracic aorta is performed in 2 min with inline image reconstruction on the MRI scanner in less than 5 min.

Methods: The 10 in vitro 4D flow MRI scans were performed with different acceleration rates on a pulsatile flow phantom (9 CS acceleration factors [R = 5.4-14.

Quantification of myocardial deformation by deformable registration-based analysis of cine MRI: validation with tagged CMR.

Objectives: To validate deformable registration algorithms (DRAs) for cine balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) assessment of global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS) using harmonic phase (HARP) cardiovascular magnetic resonance as standard of reference (SoR).

Methods: Seventeen patients and 17 volunteers underwent short axis stack and 2-/4-chamber cine bSSFP imaging with matching slice long-axis and mid-ventricular spatial modulation of magnetization (SPAMM) myocardial tagging. Inverse DRA was applied on bSSFP data for assessment of GLS and GCS while myocardial tagging was processed using HARP.

Role of Myocardial Extracellular Volume Fraction Measured with Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Prediction of Left Ventricular Functional Outcome after Revascularization of Chronic Total Occlusion of Coronary Arteries.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the value of the myocardial extracellular volume fraction (ECV) in predicting myocardial functional outcome after revascularization of coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO).

Materials And Methods: Thirty patients with CTO underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) before and 6 months after revascularization. Three baseline markers of functional outcome were evaluated in the dysfunctional segments assigned to the CTO vessels: ECV, transmural extent of infarction (TEI), and unenhanced rim thickness (RIM).

Validation and reproducibility of cardiovascular 4D-flow MRI from two vendors using 2 × 2 parallel imaging acceleration in pulsatile flow phantom and in vivo with and without respiratory gating.

Background: 4D-flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly used.

Purpose: To validate 4D-flow sequences in phantom and in vivo, comparing volume flow and kinetic energy (KE) head-to-head, with and without respiratory gating.

Material And Methods: Achieva dStream (Philips Healthcare) and MAGNETOM Aera (Siemens Healthcare) 1.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance evidence of myocardial fibrosis and its clinical significance in adolescent and adult patients with Ebstein's anomaly.

Background: Myocardial fibrosis is a common pathophysiological process that is related to ventricular remodeling in congenital heart disease. However, the presence, characteristics, and clinical significance of myocardial fibrosis in Ebstein's anomaly have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to evaluate myocardial fibrosis using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and T1 mapping techniques, and to explore the significance of myocardial fibrosis in adolescent and adult patients with Ebstein's anomaly.

T1 and T2 mapping in the identification of acute myocardial injury in patients with NSTEMI.

Aims: To test T1 and T2 mapping in the assessment of acute myocardial injury in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), evaluated before revascularization.

Methods: Forty-seven patients with acute NSTEMI underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) at 1.5 T, including T1 and T2 mapping.

Quantitative Study of Abdominal Blood Flow Patterns in Patients with Aortic Dissection by 4-Dimensional Flow MRI.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hemodynamic characteristics of the true lumen (TL) and the false lumen (FL) in 16 patients with aortic dissection (AD) using 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and thoracic and abdominal computed tomography (CT) angiography. The quantitative parameters that were measured in the TL and FL included velocity and flow. The mean area and regurgitant fraction of the TL were significantly lesser at all four levels (p < 0.

Left Ventricular Myocardial Deformation on Cine MR Images: Relationship to Severity of Disease and Prognosis in Light-Chain Amyloidosis.

Purpose To measure left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain with cine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and a deformable registration algorithm (DRA) and to assess the prognostic value of myocardial strain in patients with light-chain (AL) amyloidosis. Materials and Methods In this prospective study, 78 consecutive patients with AL amyloidosis who underwent contrast material-enhanced cardiac MR imaging were enrolled at West China Hospital. LV myocardial strains and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) were evaluated.