Dynamic contrast‐enhanced myocardial perfusion imaging using saturation‐prepared TrueFISP

Abstract

Purpose To develop and test a saturation‐recovery TrueFISP (SR‐TrueFISP) pulse sequence for first‐pass myocardial perfusion imaging. Materials and Methods First‐pass magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of Gd‐DTPA (2 mL) kinetics in the heart was performed using an SR‐TrueFISP pulse sequence (TR/TE/α = 2.6 msec/1.4 msec/55°) with saturation preparation TD = 30 msec before the TrueFISP readout. Measurements were also performed with a conventional saturation‐recovery TurboFLASH (SRTF) pulse sequence for comparison. Results SR‐TrueFISP images were of excellent quality and demonstrated contrast agent wash‐in more clearly than SRTF images. The signal increase in myocardium was higher in SR‐TrueFISP than in SRTF data. Precontrast SNR and peak CNR were not significantly different between both sequences despite 57% improved spatial resolution for SR‐TrueFISP. Conclusion SR‐TrueFISP first‐pass MRI of myocardial perfusion leads to a substantial improvement of image quality and spatial resolution. It is well suited for first‐pass myocardial perfusion studies at cardiovascular MR systems with improved gradient hardware. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2002;16:641–652.