In Vivo Fluorine Imaging Using 1.5 Tesla MRI for Depiction of Experimental Myocarditis in a Rodent Animal Model.

The usefulness of perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions for the imaging of experimental myocarditis has been demonstrated in a high-field 9.4 Tesla MRI scanner. Our proof-of-concept study investigated the imaging capacity of PFC-based F/H MRI in an animal myocarditis model using a clinical field strength of 1.

Long-term prognostic value of vasodilator stress cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Although the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) is high among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), studies on stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging frequently exclude patients with AF, and its prognostic and diagnostic value in high-risk patients with suspected or known CAD remains unclear.

Methods And Results: In this longitudinal cohort study, we included 164 consecutive patients with AF during vasodilator perfusion CMR. Diagnostic value was evaluated regarding invasive coronary angiography in a subset of patients.

Non-invasive CMR-Based Quantification of Myocardial Power and Efficiency Under Stress and Ischemic Conditions in Landrace Pigs.

Myocardial efficiency should be maintained stable under light-to-moderate stress conditions, but ischemia puts the myocardium at risk for impaired functionality. Additionally, the measurement of such efficiency typically requires invasive heart catheterization and exposure to ionizing radiation. In this work, we aimed to non-invasively assess myocardial power and the resulting efficiency during pharmacological stress testing and ischemia induction.

Cardiac Myxomas Show Elevated Native T1, T2 Relaxation Time and ECV on Parametric CMR.

While cardiac tumors are rare, their identification and differentiation has wide clinical implications. Recent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) parametric mapping techniques allow for quantitative tissue characterization. Our aim was to examine the range of values encountered in cardiac myxomas in correlation to histological measurements.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance-derived left ventricular mechanics-strain, cardiac power and end-systolic elastance under various inotropic states in swine.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) strain imaging is an established technique to quantify myocardial deformation. However, to what extent left ventricular (LV) systolic strain, and therefore LV mechanics, reflects classical hemodynamic parameters under various inotropic states is still not completely clear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of LV global strain parameters measured via CMR feature tracking (CMR-FT, based on conventional cine balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) images) with hemodynamic parameters such as cardiac index (CI), cardiac power output (CPO) and end-systolic elastance (Ees) under various inotropic states.

Feasibility and Robustness of 3T Magnetic Resonance Angiography Using Modified Dixon Fat Suppression in Patients With Known or Suspected Peripheral Artery Disease.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) is a well-established non-invasive imaging technique for the assessment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). A subtractionless method using modified Dixon (mDixon) fat suppression showed superior image quality at 1.5T over the common subtraction method, using a three-positions stepping table approach with a single dose of contrast agent.

Cardiac magnetic resonance T2 mapping and feature tracking in athlete's heart and HCM.

Objectives: Distinguishing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) from left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) due to systematic training (athlete's heart, AH) from morphologic assessment remains challenging. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of T2 mapping and deformation imaging obtained by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to discriminate AH from HCM with (HOCM) or without outflow tract obstruction (HNCM).

Methods: Thirty-three patients with HOCM, 9 with HNCM, 13 strength-trained athletes as well as individual age- and gender-matched controls received CMR.

Estimation of total collagen volume: a T1 mapping versus histological comparison study in healthy Landrace pigs.

Right ventricular biopsy represents the gold standard for the assessment of myocardial fibrosis and collagen content. This invasive technique, however, is accompanied by perioperative complications and poor reproducibility. Extracellular volume (ECV) measured through cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as a valid surrogate method to assess fibrosis non-invasively.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking in pigs: a reproducibility and sample size calculation study.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT) is a novel technique for non-invasive assessment of myocardial motion and deformation. Although CMR-FT is standardized in humans, literature on comparative analysis from animal models is scarce. In this study, we measured the reproducibility of global strain under various inotropic states and the sample size needed to test its relative changes in pigs.

Strain-encoded cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: a new approach for fast estimation of left ventricular function.

Background: Recently introduced fast strain-encoded (SENC) cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging (fast-SENC) provides real-time acquisition of myocardial performance in a single heartbeat. We aimed to test the ability and accuracy of real-time strain-encoded CMR imaging to estimate left ventricular volumes, ejection fraction and mass.

Methods: Thirty-five subjects (12 healthy volunteers and 23 patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease) were investigated.

CMR-guidance of passively tracked endomyocardial biopsy in an in vivo porcine model.

Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is considered to be the diagnostic gold-standard in detection of myocardial-inflammation. EMB is usually conducted under fluoroscopy without any specific target information. Specific target-information provided by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) may improve specificity of EMB.

Role of T2 mapping in left ventricular reverse remodeling after TAVR.

Background: Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) are subjected to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) with increasing morbidity and mortality. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) induces reverse left ventricular remodeling which can be monitored by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). CMR is able to analyze myocardial tissue properties by magnetic relaxation times (parametric CMR).

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using an Open 1.0T MR Platform: A Comparative Study with a 1.5T Tunnel System.

Background: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) has become the non-invasive reference standard for the evaluation of cardiac function and viability. The introduction of open, high-field, 1.0T (HFO) MR scanners offers advantages for examinations of obese, claustrophobic and paediatric patients.

CMR stress testing in a patient with morbid obesity (BMI 58 kg/m) and suspected coronary artery disease.

Background: Severe obesity is asscociated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) but non-invasive cardiac imaging modalities have important technical limits.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 58-year old patient with suspected CAD and severely elevated BMI of 58 kg/m.

Conclusions: Stress-CMR was able to non-invasively stratify risk with good imaging quality despite the body dimensions of the patient.

Feasibility study of MR-guided transgluteal targeted in-bore biopsy for suspicious lesions of the prostate at 3 Tesla using a freehand approach.

Objective: The aim of our study was (1) to establish an in-bore targeted biopsy of suspicious prostate lesions, avoiding bowel penetration using a transgluteal approach and (2) to assess operator setup, patient comfort and safety aspects in the clinical setting for freehand real-time MR-guidance established for percutaneous procedures in an open MR-scanner.

Material And Methods: 30 patients with suspect prostate lesions were biopsied in a cylindrical 3T-MRI system using a transgluteal approach in freehand technique. One to three biopsies were sampled using continuous dynamic imaging.

T2 mapping cardiovascular magnetic resonance identifies the presence of myocardial inflammation in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy as compared to endomyocardial biopsy.

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the value of T2 mapping for the non-invasive assessment of myocardial inflammation in different stages of systolic left ventricular dysfunction in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in comparison with endomyocardial biopsy (EMB).

Methods And Results: A total of 132 subjects were enrolled between 2013 and 2016 (62 controls and 70 patients with DCM). All patients underwent CMR at 1.

Magnetic resonance guided renal denervation using active tracking: first in vivo experience in Swine.

Interventional cardiovascular magnetic resonance (iCMR) might evolve as a technique to improve procedural success rates in cardiovascular interventions by combining intraprocedural guidance and simultaneous lesion imaging. The objective of the present study was to prove feasibility and estimate safety of renal sympathetic denervation guided by real-time iCMR using active tracking. Six pigs were examined in a 1.

A novel multiparametric imaging approach to acute myocarditis using T2-mapping and CMR feature tracking.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic potential of a novel cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) based multiparametric imaging approach in suspected myocarditis and to compare it to traditional Lake Louise criteria (LLC).

Methods: CMR data from 67 patients with suspected acute myocarditis were retrospectively analyzed. Seventeen age- and gender-matched healthy subjects served as control.

Acute versus Chronic Myocardial Infarction: Diagnostic Accuracy of Quantitative Native T1 and T2 Mapping versus Assessment of Edema on Standard T2-weighted Cardiovascular MR Images for Differentiation.

Purpose To analyze the diagnostic accuracy of native T1 and T2 mapping compared with visual and quantitative assessment of edema on T2-weighted cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) images to differentiate between acute and chronic myocardial infarction. Materials and Methods This study had institutional ethics committee approval. Written informed consent was obtained from 67 consecutive patients (57 years ± 12; 78% men) with a first acute myocardial infarction, who were prospectively enrolled between April 2011 and June 2015.

Re-evaluation of a novel approach for quantitative myocardial oedema detection by analysing tissue inhomogeneity in acute myocarditis using T2-mapping.

Objectives: To re-evaluate a recently suggested approach of quantifying myocardial oedema and increased tissue inhomogeneity in myocarditis by T2-mapping.

Methods: Cardiac magnetic resonance data of 99 patients with myocarditis were retrospectively analysed. Thirthy healthy volunteers served as controls.

Fatty metaplasia quantification and impact on regional myocardial function as assessed by advanced cardiac MR imaging.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the advantages of recently developed cardiac imaging techniques of fat-water separation and feature tracking to characterize better individuals with chronic myocardial infarction (MI).

Materials And Methods: Twenty patients who had a previous MI underwent CMR imaging. The study protocol included routine cine and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) technique.

Artefact-free late gadolinium enhancement imaging in patients with implanted cardiac devices using a modified broadband sequence: current strategies and results from a real-world patient cohort.

Aims: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with implanted cardiac devices is often limited by device-related imaging artefacts. Limitations can potentially be overcome by employing a broadband late gadolinium enhancement (LGE)-CMR imaging technique. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between implanted cardiac devices and the optimal frequency offset on broadband LGE-CMR imaging to increase the artefact-free visibility of myocardial segments.