Stimulated-echo acquisition mode (STEAM) MRI for black-blood delayed hyperenhanced myocardial imaging

✍ Scribed by El-Sayed H. Ibrahim; Robert G. Weiss; Matthias Stuber; Dara L. Kraitchman VMD; Li Pan; Amy E. Spooner; Nael F. Osman

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 389 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1053-1807
• DOI: 10.1002/jmri.21220

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Purpose

To develop a breathhold method for black‐blood viability imaging of the heart that may facilitate identifying the endocardial border.

Materials and Methods

Three stimulated‐echo acquisition mode (STEAM) images were obtained almost simultaneously during the same acquisition using three different demodulation values. Two of the three images were used to construct a black‐blood image of the heart. The third image was a T~1~‐weighted viability image that enabled detection of hyperintense infarcted myocardium after contrast agent administration. The three STEAM images were combined into one composite black‐blood viability image of the heart. The composite STEAM images were compared to conventional inversion‐recovery (IR) delayed hyperenhanced (DHE) images in nine human subjects studied on a 3T MRI scanner.

Results

STEAM images showed black‐blood characteristics and a significant improvement in the blood‐infarct signal‐difference to noise ratio (SDNR) when compared to the IR‐DHE images (34 ± 4.1 vs. 10 ± 2.9, mean ± standard deviation (SD), P < 0.002). There was sufficient myocardium‐infarct SDNR in the STEAM images to accurately delineate infarcted regions. The extracted infarcts demonstrated good agreement with the IR‐DHE images.

Conclusion

The STEAM black‐blood property allows for better delineation of the blood‐infarct border, which would enhance the fast and accurate measurement of infarct size. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.