Simultaneous assessment of myocardial scar and coronary arteries using navigator-gated 3-dimensional fat-suppressed delayed-enhancement MRI at 3.0 T: a technical feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess technical feasibility of navigator-gated 3-dimensional (3D) fat-suppressed delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) at 3.0 T for simultaneous visualization of myocardial scars and coronary arteries.
METHODS: Thirty patients with various myocardial diseases underwent navigator-gated 3D fat-suppressed DE-MRI using a 3.0-T scanner. The ability of this imaging technique to detect myocardial scars was compared with that of 2D DE-MRI. Visualization of the coronary arteries by this MRI technique was scored, and the relationship between myocardial scars and coronary arteries was assessed.
RESULTS: Navigator-gated 3D fat-suppressed DE-MRI detected 71 of 75 segments with a myocardial scar. This imaging visualized proximal coronary arteries with an acceptable image quality and demonstrated a relationship between the myocardial scars and coronary arteries in 11 of the patients with scars.
CONCLUSION: Navigator-gated 3D fat-suppressed DE-MRI at 3.0 T was feasible for simultaneous visualization of myocardial scars and proximal coronary arteries.