Performance of simultaneous cardiac-respiratory self-gated three-dimensional MR imaging of the heart: initial experience.

This study was approved by the local institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from all volunteers and patients. The objective of the present study was to assess the performance of high-spatial-resolution three-dimensional prospective cardiac-respiratory self-gated (CRSG) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for determining left ventricular (LV) volumes and mass, as well as right ventricular (RV) volumes, in comparison with standard electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered, two-dimensional multisection, multiple-breath-hold cine imaging. The self-gated method derives cardiac triggering and respiratory gating information prospectively on the basis of additional MR imaging signals acquired in every repetition time and, thereby, eliminates the need for ECG triggering and multiple-breath-hold procedures. Data were acquired in 15 healthy volunteers (mean age, 27.2 years +/- 7.2 [standard deviation]) and 11 patients (mean age, 60.7 years +/- 11.3). The bias between the self-gating and the reference imaging techniques was minimal for all LV and RV parameters (mean values: LV end-diastolic volume, 2.0 mL; LV end-systolic volume, 0.6 mL; RV end-diastolic volume, 2.2 mL; and RV end-systolic volume, 0.8 mL). Prospective CRSG is a valuable alternative to ECG-triggered, multisection, multiple-breath-hold cine imaging of the heart and holds considerable promise for simplifying functional imaging of the heart, particularly in patients who are unable to hold their breath for a long period and patients who show ECG signal disturbances.