[Clinical diagnostic valuation cine magnetic resonance coronary angiography].

OBJECTIVE

To assess the ability of imaging coronary arteries noninvasively with magnetic resonance angiography technique (MRCA) and its diagnostic value in coronary artery disease.

METHODS

MRCA was performed on 33 subjects, including 12 healthy adult volunteers and 21 patients with available recent X-ray contrast angiography (XCA) results. MRCA technique consisted of a gradient echo sequence (Turbo-Cine), two-dimensional acquisition, fat suppression, peripheral gating. Subjects were imaged in supine position using a standard body coil, without breath-hold.

RESULTS

All 33 subjects were imaged successfully. Identification of the coronary artery was possible for the right coronary, left main stem, left anterior, and left circumflex arteries respectively in 97%, 100%, 91% and 91% with a visualized mean length of 51 +/- 15 (28-80 mm), 11 +/- 4 (4-22 mm), 44 +/- 13 (24-66 mm), 40 +/- 12 (20-66 mm). In the 21 subjects with available XCA results, 78% (29/37) proximal stenoses of the coronary arteries were detected with MRCA.

CONCLUSION

At current stage, MRCA can depict most of the hemodynamically significant proximal stenoses but not the distals. This procedure can be used as an alternative imaging application under certain clinical indications.