Magnetic resonance imaging of the main pulmonary artery: reliable assessment of dimensions in Marfan patients on a simple axial spin echo image.

Objective: To investigate if a simple axial spin echo (SE) image can be used for reliable assessment of pulmonary artery dimensions in patients with Marfan syndrome.

Methods: Fifty Marfan patients (mean age 33 +/- 10 years; 34 men, 16 women) and 15 normal subjects (mean age 28 +/- 4 years; nine men, six women) underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Pulmonary artery dimensions were obtained on axial SE images at two different levels: (1) the level of the pulmonary artery root, and (2) the level of the pulmonary artery bifurcation.