Infarct tissue heterogeneity by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is a novel predictor of mortality in patients with chronic coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction.

Background: Strategies for prevention of sudden cardiac death focus on severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, although most sudden cardiac death postmyocardial infarction occurs in patients with mild/moderate LV dysfunction. We tested the hypothesis that infarct heterogeneity by cardiac magnetic resonance is associated with mortality beyond LV ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with coronary artery disease and LV dysfunction. In addition, we examined the association between infarct heterogeneity and mortality in those with LVEF >35%.

Mitral valve and tricuspid valve blood flow: accurate quantification with 3D velocity-encoded MR imaging with retrospective valve tracking.

Purpose: To validate flow assessment performed with three-dimensional (3D) three-directional velocity-encoded (VE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with retrospective valve tracking and to compare this modality with conventional two-dimensional (2D) one-directional VE MR imaging in healthy subjects and patients with regurgitation.

Materials And Methods: Patients and volunteers gave informed consent, and local medical ethics committee approval was obtained. Patient data were selected retrospectively and randomly from a database of MR studies obtained between July 2006 and July 2007.