Cardiac ejection fraction: Phantom study comparing cine MR imaging, radionuclide blood pool imaging, and ventriculography

Abstract

The accuracy and reproducibility of cardiac ejection fraction (EF) measurements based on cine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, radionuclide multigated acquisition (MUGA) blood pool imaging, and angiographic ventriculography were evaluated by comparing them with a volumetrically determined standard. A biventricular, compliant, fluid-filled heart phantom was developed to mimic normal cardiac anatomy and physiology. Ventricular EFs were measured with cine MR imaging by summation of nine contiguous 10-mm-thick sections in short and long axis, with single-plane ventriculography, and with MUGA. Three measurements were performed with each modality for each of three EFs. Ventriculography was least accurate, with average relative errors ranging from 7.9% for the largest EF to 60.1% for the smallest. Cine MR was most accurate, with average relative errors ranging from 4.4% to 8.5%. MUGA EF measurements showed good correlation, with average relative errors ranging from 7.1% to 22.4%. Comparison of the error variances for the three modalities with the F test revealed that MR and MUGA EF measurements were significantly more accurate than those based on ventriculography (P less than .01). No significant difference was demonstrated between the accuracy of short- and long-axis cine MR acquisitions.

Assessment of left ventricular function by breath‐hold cine MR imaging: Comparison of different steady‐state free precession sequences

“…shown to be the most accurate and reproducible method for the evaluation of cardiac ventricular volumes, function, and mass and is therefore regarded to be the standard of reference (1)(2)(3)(4). Two different MR sequences are commonly used to assess cardiac function parameters non-invasively: segmented k-space turbo gradient echo (TGE) and steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequences.…”

MRI in coronary artery disease

“…The multiplanar cross-sectional nature inherent to cine-MR imaging coupled with high spatial and temporal resolution has been shown to provide highly accurate and reproducible measurements of cardiodynamic parameters [12]. Recently, SSFP sequences, which are characterized by shorter acquisition times, higher spatial and temporal resolution as well as improved image quality, have replaced gradient echo techniques [2].…”

Cardiac Function

“…Imaging Techniques Since the first publications on the use of MRI for quantification of cardiac volumes, function, and mass, results have been compared with those obtained with other ''established'' techniques, such as contrast ventriculography, echocardiography, radionuclide imaging, and indicator dilution or thermodilution techniques (Longmore et al 1985;Stratemeier et al 1986;Kaul et al 1986;Mogelvang et al 1986;Dilworth et al 1987;Markiewicz et al 1987b;van Rossum et al 1988a, b;Culham and Vince 1988;Debatin et al 1992b;Gopal et al 1993;Herregods et al 1994;Bavelaar-Croon et al 2000;Chuang et al 2000;Bellenger et al 2000aBellenger et al , 2002Chuang et al 2000;Myerson et al 2002a;Rajappan et al 2002;Sierra-Galan et al 2003;Ichikawa et al 2003). Nowadays, we notice the opposite phenomenon, i.e., MRI is increasingly used to validate other (novel) quantification approaches, emphasizing that MRI has become a front player when it comes to assessment of cardiac functional performance (Sugeng et al 2006;Niemann et al 2007;Nesser et al 2007Nesser et al , 2009 circles represents one control, and the filled circles represent the other control.…”