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OBJECTIVE: Direct in vivo MRI of dental hard tissues by applying ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI techniques has recently been reported. The objective of the presented study is to clinically evaluate the applicability of UTE MRI for the identification of caries lesions. METHODS: 40 randomly selected patients (mean age 41 ± 15 years) were enrolled in this study. 39 patients underwent a conventional clinical assessment, dental bitewing X-ray and a dental MRI investigation comprising a conventional turbo-spin echo (TSE) and a dedicated UTE scan. One patient had to be excluded owing to claustrophobia. In four patients, the clinical treatment of the lesions was documented by intraoral pictures, and the resulting volume of the cavity after excavation was documented by dental imprints and compared with the MRI findings. RESULTS: In total, 161 lesions were identified. 157 (97%) were visible in the UTE images, 27 (17%) in the conventional TSE images and 137 (85%) in the X-ray images. In total, 14 teeth could not be analysed by MR owing to artefacts caused by dental fillings. All lesions appear significantly larger in the UTE images as compared with the X-ray and TSE images. In situ measurements confirm the accuracy of the lesion dimensions as observed in the UTE images. CONCLUSION: The presented data provide evidence that UTE MR imaging can be applied for the identification of caries lesions. Although the current data suggest an even higher sensitivity of UTE MRI, some limitations must be expected from dental fillings.

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Magnetic resonance coronary angiography (MRCA) has been proven to be feasible for imaging of the proximal and medial portions of the three main coronary arteries. Free breathing techniques allow for high resolution imaging but prolong scan time. This could potentially be shortened by improving the efficiency, robustness and accuracy of the navigator gating algorithm. Aim of this study was to determine the feasibility, efficiency, and image quality of a new motion compensation algorithm (3D-MAG) for coronary artery imaging with navigator techniques. In 21 patients the coronaries were imaged in plane with a 3D k-space segmented gradient echo sequence. A T2 preparation prepulse was used for suppression of myocardial signal, during free breathing and a navigator technique with using real time slice following and a gating window of 5 mm was applied to suppress breathing motion artefacts. Imaging was performed with standard gating and compared to 3D-MAG. Image quality was visually compared, contrast-to-noise and signal-to-noise ratio were calculated, the length of visualized coronary arteries was measured and scan duration and scan efficiency were calculated. Standard navigator imaging was feasible in 19 of 21 (90.5%) patients 3D-MAG in 21/21 (100%). Scan efficiency and duration was significantly improved with 3D-MAG (p < .05) without change in image quality. 3D-MAG is superior to conventional navigator correction algorithms. It improves feasibility and scan efficiency without reduction of image quality. This approach should be routinely used for MR coronary artery imaging with navigator techniques.

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PURPOSE: Different centers and vendors use different sequences and contrast agent application schemes for MR myocardial perfusion imaging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of different sequences, dosages, and injection speeds of contrast media for semiquantitative MR-perfusion assessment. METHODS: In a pilot study with 58 consecutive patients three of the most commonly used sequences for MR myocardial perfusion imaging (T1-GrE, GrE-EPI or SSFP) were compared to each other in terms of peak myocardial enhancement and image quality. For the main part of the study dynamic first pass MR perfusion imaging (Philips Intera CV, Best, Tthe Netherlands) was performed in 24 patients using the most favorable sequence from the pilot study (SSFP) after peripheral i.v. administration of Gd-BOPTA during adenosine stress. Two doses (0.05 mmol/kg bw and 0.025 mmol/kg bw) and four different injection speeds (8, 4, 3, 2 ml/s) were used. Signal intensity time curves were determined in the LV and myocardial segments supplied by normal coronary arteries and correlation between LV and myocardial upslope as well as peak enhancement were noted. RESULTS: The SSFP-sequence showed a higher peak enhancement when using 0.05 mmol/kg bw of Gd-BOPTA and a superior image quality for both dosage regimen compared with the other sequences and was consequently applied for the main study. A significant correlation was found between the upslopes in the LV and the myocardium (r square = 0.85, p < 0.001). However, LV and myocardial upslopes were largely independent of the dosage. Myocardial upslope was significantly slower at an injection rate of 2 ml/s compared to 3 and 4 ml/s. Higher Gd-doses led to significantly higher enhancement (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In healthy myocardial segments, the myocardial upslope is mainly determined from the LV upslope. Both myocardial enhancement and upslope are largely independent from the injection rate of a contrast agent bolus as long as the injection speed is not below 3 ml/s. Myocardial enhancement, however, is dose dependent. Thus, a simple correction for LV upslope allows to normalize a wide variety of input parameters. Differences of myocardial upslope or peak signal intensity after correction should be mainly dependent on blood flow.

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PURPOSE: Using segmented k-space turbo gradient echo MR techniques (TGE) contrast between blood and myocardium is often reduced in long axis views due to reduced in plane spin-refreshment, particularly in patients with low ejection fraction. The application of an intravascular contrast agent (CA) may improve endocardial border delineation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 15 patients cardiac cine loops in two long axis and two short axis views were acquired during breath hold using a TGE sequence without and with increasing doses of CA (0.75, 2.0, 5.0 mg Fe/kg). Two independent observers evaluated left ventricular function (LVEF, modified Simpson's rule) and assigned a visual score (range: 0 = 'not visualized' to 6 = 'excellent visualization') for endocardial border delineation. Signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios (SNR; CNR) were determined. RESULTS: Endocardial border delineation score for TGE was 1.7 +/- 0.6 and 3.9 +/- 0.6**, 4.4 +/- 0.5**, 4.6 +/- 0.4** for 0.75, 2.0, 5.0 mg Fe/kg of CA, respectively (**p < 0.01 vs. TGE). SNR of blood increased significantly with any dose of CA with a mild drop of myocardial SNR resulting in a significant increase of CNR blood/myocardium. The maximum effect with 2.0 mg Fe/kg was a >2-fold CNR increase. Inter- and intraobserver variability assessed according to the method of Bland-Altmann was reduced at 2.0 mg Fe/kg for determination of LVEF and reached statistical significance for LVEF <50%. CONCLUSION: Intravascular CA increased CNR between blood and myocardium by a factor >2 and significantly improved the determination of cardiac volumes. The benefit in accuracy was most for patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <50%.

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Contrast between blood and myocardium in standard turbo gradient echo MR techniques (TFE) used routinely in clinical practice is mainly caused by unsaturated inflowing blood. Steady-state free precession (SSFP) has excellent contrast even in the absence of inflow effects. In 45 subjects cardiac cine loops in two long axis projections were acquired using TFE and compared with SSFP. A visual score (range 0 worst - 3 best) was assigned for endocardial border delineation for six myocardial segments in two long axis views. Endocardial border delineation score for TFE was 1.3 +/- 0.3 per segment and 2.4 +/- 0.3 for SSFP (P < 0.0001). Signal intensity blood/signal intensity myocardium was 1.5 +/- 0.4 at enddiastole and 1.4 +/- 0.3 at systole for TFE and 3.5 +/- 1.1 and 3.2 +/- 1.3 for SSFP, respectively (P < 0.0001). SSFP increases contrast between blood and myocardium more than twofold, resulting in an improved endocardial border definition. This may reduce variability for the determination of cardiac volumes and ejection fraction.

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A new magnetic resonance (MR) sequence was developed to acquire real-time images in a multi-slice dynamic imaging mode to cover the complete heart in 15 seconds without the need for electrocardiogram (ECG) triggering and multiple breath holds. In 34 patients, left ventricular function was assessed with the new technique and a standard technique. The new technique proved to be feasible and accurate for functional cardiac examinations.

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Ultrafast gradient systems and hybrid imaging sequences offer the opportunity to acquire phase contrast flow data in real time. In a 1.5-Tesla magnetic resonance (MR)-tomograph, peak velocity and volume flow were assessed in 36 large vessels (aorta) and 33 medium-sized vessels (carotid and iliac artery) using a real-time (segmented k-space turbo gradient-echo planar imaging sequence) in comparison with a gradient-echo technique. With the real-time technique, the matrix was reduced from 116 to 64, and temporal resolution changed from 30 msec to 124 msec. Measurements of peak velocity correlated in large (r = 0.88) and medium-sized vessels (r = 0.81). Volume flow measurements correlated in large vessels (r = 0.87), however, a poor correlation (r = 0.64) was found in medium-sized vessels. Thus, scan time can be significantly reduced and images acquired without electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggering. Flow volume can only be determined in large vessels with sufficient accuracy, mainly due to reduced spatial resolution in smaller vessels.

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This study analyzes the accuracy of a new real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique (acquisition duration, 62 ms/image) and echocardiography for the determination of left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, ejection fraction, and muscle mass when compared with turbo gradient echo imaging as the reference standard. Thirty-four patients were examined with digital echocardiography, standard, and real-time MRI. A close correlation was found between the results of real-time imaging and the reference standard for end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and ejection fraction (r >0.95), with a lower correlation for LV muscle mass (r = 0.81). Correlations between echocardiography and the reference standard were lower for all parameters. Real-time MRI enables the acquisition of high-quality cine loops of the entire heart in minimal time without electrocardiographic triggering or breath holding. Thus, patient setup and scan time can be reduced considerably. Results are similar to the reference standard and superior to echocardiography for determining LV volumes and ejection fraction. This technique is a valid alternative to current approaches and can form the basis of every cardiac MRI examination.

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For the assessment of myocardial perfusion with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, different semiquantitative parameters of the first pass signal intensity time curves can be calculated and myocardial perfusion reserve indices can be determined. In this study we evaluated the feasibility of different perfusion parameters and their perfusion reserve indices for the detection of significant coronary artery stenosis. The signal intensity time curves of the first pass of a gadolinium-DTPA bolus injected via a central vein catheter before and after dipyridamole infusion were investigated in 15 patients with single vessel (stenosis > or = 75% area reduction) and five patients without significant coronary artery disease. For the distinction of ischemic and nonischemic myocardial segments, semiquantitative parameters, such as maximal signal intensity, contrast appearance time, time to maximal signal intensity and the steepness of the signal intensity curve's upslope determined by a linear fit, were assessed after correction for the input function. For each parameter a myocardial perfusion reserve index was calculated and cut off values for the detection of significant coronary stenosis were defined. The diagnostic accuracy of each parameter was then examined prospectively in 36 patients with coronary artery disease and compared with coronary angiography. Where as a distinction of ischemic and normal myocardium was possible with myocardial perfusion reserve indices, semiquantitative parameters at rest or after vasodilation alone did not allow such a distinction. The perfusion reserve index calculated from the upslope showed the most significant difference between ischemic and nonischemic myocardial segments (1.19 +/- 0.4 and 2.38 +/- 0.45, p < 0.001) followed by maximum signal intensity, time to maximum signal intensity and contrast apperance time. Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy was 87, 82 and 85% for the detection of hypoperfusion induced by significant coronary artery stenoses using the perfusion reserve index calculated from the upslope. The steepness of the first pass signal intensity curve's upslope, determined by a linear fit, is a feasible parameter for the detection of significant coronary artery disease with MR. Based on a myocardial perfusion reserve index of this parameter, ischemic myocardium can be identified with high diagnostic accuracy.

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PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and imaging artifacts with different coronary arterial stents and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The heating, artifacts, and ferromagnetism with different stents were studied with a 1.5-T MR tomograph with ultrafast gradients by using turbo spin-echo, turbo gradient-echo, and echo-planar imaging sequences. Nineteen stents, which were 8-25 mm in length and 3.0-4.5 mm in diameter, were evaluated. Stent deviation induced by the magnetic field and during MR imaging, migration, and heating caused by the radio-frequency pulses were examined. The size of imaging artifacts was measured with all the stents under standardized conditions and with six stents after their implantation into the coronary arteries of freshly explanted pig hearts. RESULTS: All except two types of stents showed minimal ferromagnetism. No device migration or heating was induced. Turbo spin-echo images had minimal artifacts; larger artifacts were seen on the turbo gradient-echo and echo-planar images. With ultrafast gradients, the artifacts on the echo-planar images were substantially reduced. CONCLUSION: The studied coronary stents were not influenced by heating or motion during 1.5-T MR imaging. Artifact size differed according to the type and size of the stent and the MR imaging sequence used. Thus, patients with these stents can be safely examined.

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BACKGROUND: Myocardial perfusion reserve can be noninvasively assessed with cardiovascular MR. In this study, the diagnostic accuracy of this technique for the detection of significant coronary artery stenosis was evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 15 patients with single-vessel coronary artery disease and 5 patients without significant coronary artery disease, the signal intensity-time curves of the first pass of a gadolinium-DTPA bolus injected through a central vein catheter were evaluated before and after dipyridamole infusion to validate the technique. A linear fit was used to determine the upslope, and a cutoff value for the differentiation between the myocardium supplied by stenotic and nonstenotic coronary arteries was defined. The diagnostic accuracy was then examined prospectively in 34 patients with coronary artery disease and was compared with coronary angiography. A significant difference in myocardial perfusion reserve between ischemic and normal myocardial segments (1.08+/-0.23 and 2.33+/-0.41; P<0.001) was found that resulted in a cutoff value of 1.5 (mean minus 2 SD of normal segments). In the prospective analysis, sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of coronary artery stenosis (> or =75%) were 90%, 83%, and 87%, respectively. Interobserver and intraobserver variabilities for the linear fit were low (r=0.96 and 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: MR first-pass perfusion measurements yielded a high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of coronary artery disease. Myocardial perfusion reserve can be easily and reproducibly determined by a linear fit of the upslope of the signal intensity-time curves.

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New ultrafast gradient systems and hybrid imaging sequences make it possible to acquire a complete image in real time, without the need for breathholding or electrocardiogram (ECG) triggering. In 21 patients, left ventricular function was assessed by the use of a turbo-gradient echo technique, an echo-planar imaging (EPI) technique, and a new real-time imaging technique. End-diastolic and end-systolic volumes, left ventricular muscle mass, and ejection fraction of the ultrafast techniques were compared with the turbo-gradient echo technique. Inter- and intraobserver variability was determined for each technique. Image quality was sufficient for automated contour detection in all but two patients in whom foldover occurred in the real-time images. Results of the ultrafast imaging techniques were comparable with conventional turbo-gradient echo techniques. There was a tendency to overestimate the end-diastolic volume by 3.9 and 1.3 ml with EPI real-time imaging, the end-systolic volume by 0.9 and 5.0 ml, and the left ventricular mass by 2.6 and 23.8 g. Ejection fraction showed a tendency to be overestimated by 1.1% with EPI and underestimated by 4.5% with real-time imaging. Correlation between EPI real-time imaging and turbo-gradient echo were 0.94 and O.95, respectively, for end-diastolic volumes, 0.98 and 0.96, respectively, for end-systolic volumes, and 0.96 and 0.89, respectively, for left ventricular mass. Inter- and intraobserver variability was low with all three techniques. Real-time imaging allows an accurate determination of left ventricular function without ECG triggering. Scan times can be reduced significantly with this new technique. Further studies will have to assess the value of real-time imaging for the detection of wall motion abnornmalities and the imaging of patients with atrial fibrillation.

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Breathing motion artifacts reduce the quality of MR coronary artery images. Real-time adaptive navigator correction with different correction factors (0%, 30%, 60%, 80% of diaphragmatic displacement) was used to correct for respiratory motion in 3D coronary artery imaging. Significant improvements of image quality were achieved by adaptive motion correction in comparison with conventional navigator gating. A close correlation between the correction factor, which yielded optimal image quality, and cardiac displacement relative to diaphragmatic displacement was found. The quality of coronary artery imaging can be improved using real-time adaptive navigator correction. Correction factors have to be adjusted for each segment of the coronary arteries and for each patient. Magn Reson Med 42:408-411, 1999.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate two different magnetic resonance (MR) techniques for the noninvasive assessment of intracoronary blood flow. Coronary blood flow velocities were measured invasively in 26 angiographically normal segments of 12 patients. Noninvasive measurements were performed in identical segments with two MR techniques using a 1.5 T MR tomograph (ACS NT, Philips). A single breath-hold technique (temporal resolution: 140 msec) and a similar non-breath-hold technique with prospective navigator correction and improved temporal resolution (45 msec) were used. Maximal coronary flow velocities determined by MR correlated closely with invasive measurements (breath-hold: r = 0.70; navigator: r = 0.86); however, a significant underestimation of the MR measurements was found (slope = 0.33 and 0.37). The relative difference from the invasive method was lower for the navigator technique compared with the breath-hold technique (P<0.02). Both MR techniques allow the determination of coronary blood flow velocities. The higher temporal resolution and shorter acquisition window of navigator-corrected non-breath-hold techniques lead to increased accuracy. This approach is a further step toward the diagnostic use of MR flow measurements in coronary artery disease.

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Interventional procedures under MR guidance require the images to be acquired with a fast acquisition strategy, a rapid reconstruction algorithm for "real-time" imaging (ie, high temporal resolution), acquisition of at least three adjacent slices to track a tool reliably, and high tissue contrast to ensure safe positioning of interventional devices. Often times, the field strength for interventional MR-imaging units is limited by the open magnet design. This complicates the trade-off between scan time and image quality, particularly when applied during low field interventional MRI procedures. To minimize the impact of some of these trade-offs, a combination of keyhole techniques or modified k-space trajectories, in conjunction with a fluoroscopic (ie, continuous acquisition) mode and a real time reconstruction, permits rapid imaging in a low field system using standard (speed optimized) reconstruction hardware and standard gradient electronics. The purpose of this study was to design and describe different keyhole strategies that can be used in a real time mode to increase the image frame rate by a factor of up to 16. By updating the entire raw data space with our strategies, even small changes of the object could be recognized. Our results using these new strategies on two commercially available open magnet MR-imaging units (Siemens Magnetom Open 0.2T resistive magnet, Toshiba Access 0.064T permanent magnet) and a 1.5T superconductive solenoidal magnet design imager (Siemens SP) are presented to show the potential of these acquisition strategies in interventional MRI. Furthermore, these strategies may also be helpful for several other medical applications requiring high temporal resolution like contrast-enhanced breast imaging or functional brain imaging.

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