Cardiac first-pass and myocardial perfusion in normal subjects assessed by sub-second Gd-DTPA enhanced MR imaging.

To evaluate first pass in the right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) cavities and myocardial perfusion, subsecond MR imaging was performed in seven normal subjects following intravenous bolus injection of Gd-DTPA. After the baseline scans, sequential ECG-triggered images were obtained every three to four RR intervals. The procedure consisted of an initial presaturation pulse (150 degrees), and the acquisition time for one image was approximately 500 ms with 64 phase-encoding steps. After bolus administration of Gd-DTPA (0.05 mmol/kg body wt), progressively increasing signal intensities were observed in the RV cavity, the LV cavity, and the myocardial wall. Gadolinium DTPA enhanced subsecond MR offers temporal information of the first transit in the cardiac chambers and may provide useful clinical reference data for assessment of myocardial perfusion in patients with coronary artery disease.