Comparative imaging of differential pulmonary blood flow in patients with congenital heart disease: magnetic resonance imaging versus lung perfusion scintigraphy.

Background: Lung perfusion scintigraphy is considered the gold standard to assess differential pulmonary blood flow while magnetic resonance (MR) has been shown to be an accurate alternative in some studies.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to assess the accuracy of phase contrast magnetic resonance (PC-MR) in measuring pulmonary blood flow ratio compared with lung perfusion scintigraphy in patients with complex pulmonary artery anatomy or pulmonary hypertension and to document reasons for discrepant results.

Materials And Methods: We identified 25 cases of congenital heart disease between January 2000 and 2003, in whom both techniques of assessing pulmonary blood flow were performed within a 6-month period without an interim surgical or transcatheter intervention.