Role of free-breathing motion-corrected late gadolinium enhancement technique for image quality assessment and LGE quantification. Issue 135 (February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yu, Yunfei; Chen, Yinyin; Zhao, Shihai; Ge, Meiying; Yang, Shan; Yun, Hong; Bi, Xiaoming; Fu, Caixia; Zeng, Mengsu; Jin, Hang
• Is Part Of: European journal of radiology. Issue 135(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-02
• Subjects: Late gadolinium enhancement -- Myocardial infarction -- Free-breathing -- Motion-corrected -- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; Medical radiology -- Periodicals; Radiology -- Periodicals; Radiologie médicale -- Périodiques; Medical radiology; Periodicals; 616.075705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2020.109510
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0720-048X

Abstract

Highlights: Free-breathing motion-corrected LGE method applies in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Free-breathing motion-corrected LGE could be a better choice for patients with risk factors for inferior image quality in CMR examination. Free-breathing motion-corrected LGE may overestimate LGE mass when LGE pattern involves subepicardial and/or transmural myocardium. Abstract: Objective: To compare the image quality and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) quantification between free-breathing motion-corrected and conventional breath-hold LGE method in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Materials and Methods: 149 consecutive patients underwent contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance examination employing both free-breathing motion-corrected LGE and conventional breath-hold LGE method. Scan time, contrast-to-noise ratio, overall image quality score and LGE mass were measured and analyzed statistically. Results: Free-breathing motion-corrected LGE method had a shorter scan time and higher overall image quality score in comparison with conventional breath-hold LGE method (p < 0.001). Univariate/multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that breath-holding difficulty, high heart rate and arrhythmia could be predictive factors possibly for an inferior image quality score (p < 0.05 for all). The contrast-to-noise ratios of free-breathing motion-corrected LGE images were higher than those of conventional breath-hold LGE images (p < 0.001). In the cases with subepicardial and/or transmural myocardial enhancement, the measured LGE masses were larger on free-breathing motion-corrected LGE images in comparison with those on conventional breath-hold LGE images (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Free-breathing motion-corrected LGE could be a better choice for patients who need contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI and have one or more of the risk factors for an inferior image quality score, including breath-holding difficulty, high heart rate and arrhythmia. However, an overestimation of LGE mass on free-breathing motion-corrected LGE image should be taken into consideration when LGE pattern involves subepicardial and/or transmural myocardium.