First-pass cardiac perfusion: evaluation with ultrafast MR imaging.

The authors studied cardiac perfusion by administering gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) in conjunction with an ultrafast imaging technique that produces strongly T1-weighted images. The method consisted of a 180 degrees inversion pulse, followed by a gradient-echo acquisition with a very short repetition time (less than 4 msec). Each image was acquired throughout a small fraction of the cardiac cycle. The method was applied in an isolated perfused rat heart model (acquisition time = 116 msec) and in human subjects without known cardiac disease (acquisition time = 125 msec). Fast, high-resolution images (128 X 128 matrix) were created by combining sequentially acquired small matrixes. After bolus administration of Gd-DTPA in the perfused rat heart model, contrast was pronounced between the nonperfused myocardium and perfused normal myocardium. First-pass wash-in and washout phases of the contrast material were observed in the perfused rat heart model and in human subjects. Results demonstrated the clinical feasibility of first-pass perfusion studies of the heart. The studies can be performed on a conventional whole-body imaging system with standard hardware.