• James W Goldfarb and Meir Shinnar.
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. James.Goldfarb@chsli.org
• J Magn Reson Imaging. 2006 Jul 1; 24 (1): 66-71.

PurposeTo compare a free-breathing (FB) acquisition with the current standard of breath-holding (BH) in a clinical setting using identical two-dimensional MR pulse sequences for imaging of myocardial delayed hyperenhancement.Materials And MethodsTwo-dimensional gadolinium-enhanced images were acquired using FB and BH techniques in 18 subjects to evaluate delayed enhancement of myocardial infarction. The FB acquisition used a navigator echo to monitor the position of the right hemidiaphragm for respiratory gating and correction. Visual analysis using a 16-segment model, quantitative signal difference to noise ratios, and percent left ventricle (LV) viability measurements for the two acquisition types were statistically compared.ResultsAn excellent agreement between two-dimensional BH and two-dimensional FB acquisitions was found. In one patient, a nontransmural infarct was seen only in the FB images. There were no statistically significant differences in the number of infarcted segments or the measured signal difference to noise ratios (SDNR) between the two methods. Linear regression and Bland Altman analysis of the percentage LV viable myocardium yielded a good fit and narrow limits of agreement.ConclusionAn FB navigator echo acquisition can be effectively used in the setting of myocardial delay hyperenhanced imaging. Image quality is similar or superior to that of BH imaging.(c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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