Microvascular Dysfunction in Patients with Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Quantitative Assessment with Phase Contrast Cine MR Imaging of the Coronary Sinus.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to compare global coronary flow reserve (CFR) between patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and risk-matched controls using cardiac MRI (CMR), and to evaluate the relationship between global CFR and CMR left ventricular (LV) parameters. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with DCM and 26 risk-matched controls who underwent comprehensive CMR examination, including stress-rest coronary sinus flow measurement by phase contrast (PC) cine CMR were retrospectively studied. LV peak global longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strains (GLS, GRS, and GCS) were determined by feature tracking. RESULTS: Patients with DCM had significantly lower global CFR compared with the risk-matched controls (2.87 ± 0.86 vs. 4.03 ± 1.47, P = 0.001). Among the parameters, univariate linear regression analyses revealed significant correlation of global CFR with LV end-diastolic volume index (r = -0.396, P = 0.045), LV mass index (r = -0.461, P = 0.018), GLS (r = -0.558, P = 0.003), and GRS (r = 0.392, P = 0.047). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed GLS as the only independent predictor of global CFR (standardized ß = -0.558, P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Global CFR was significantly impaired in patients with idiopathic DCM and independently associated with LV GLS, suggesting that microvascular dysfunction may contribute to deterioration of LV function in patients with idiopathic DCM.

Effect of Gaussian Smoothing Filter Size for CT-Based Attenuation Correction on Quantitative Assessment of Bone SPECT/CT: A Phantom Study.

This study aims to determine the effect of Gaussian filter size for CT-based attenuation correction (CTAC) on the quantitative assessment of bone SPECT. An experiment was performed using a cylindrical phantom containing six rods, of which one was filled with water and five were filled with various concentrations of K2HPO4 solution (120-960 mg/cm3) to simulate different bone densities. 99mTc-solution of 207 kBq/ml was also included within the rods. SPECT data were acquired at 120 views for 30 s/view. CT for attenuation correction were obtained at 120 kVp and 100 mA. Sixteen different CTAC maps processed with different Gaussian filter sizes (ranging from 0 to 30 mm in 2 mm increments) were generated. SPECT images were reconstructed for each of the 16 CTAC maps. Attenuation coefficients and radioactivity concentrations in the rods were compared with those in the water-filled rod without K2HPO4 solution as a reference. Gaussian filter sizes below 14-16 mm resulted in an overestimation of radioactivity concentrations for rods with high concentrations of K2HPO4 (≥ 666 mg/cm3). The overestimation of radioactivity concentration measurement was 3.8% and 5.5% for 666 mg/cm3 and 960 mg/cm3 K2HPO4 solutions, respectively. The difference in radioactivity concentration between the water rod and the K2HPO4 rods was minimal at 18-22 mm. The use of Gaussian filter sizes smaller than 14-16 mm caused an overestimation of radioactivity concentration in regions of high CT values. Setting the Gaussian filter size to 18-22 mm enables radioactivity concentration to be measured with the least influence on bone density.

Quantitative assessment of 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate bone SPECT/CT for assessing bone metastatic burden and its prognostic value in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancers: initial results in a single-center retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic value of the quantitative assessment of 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) bone SPECT/CT in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients with bone metastases. METHODS: A total of 103 patients who underwent 99mTc-MDP bone SPECT/CT imaging from the neck to the proximal femur were included. First, in 65 patients without bone metastases, the normal range of standardized uptake value (SUV) of non-pathological bone was evaluated to determine an SUV threshold to reliably exclude most normal osseous activity. Then, in 38 CRPC patients with bone metastases, lesion uptake volume (LUV), which is the extracted volume of bone metastases exhibiting high accumulation above the SUV threshold, was calculated. The relation between LUV and prostate-related mortality was statistically evaluated. RESULTS: Based on the SUV measurements of non-pathological bones, the optimal SUV threshold, which defines abnormal bone SPECT uptake, was determined to be 8. Median LUV was 39 mL (interquartile range 4.0-104.3 mL) in the CRPC subjects with bone metastases. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a significant relation between prostate cancer-specific survival and LUV (cut-off value, 19.95 mL; P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed LUV as an independent prognostic factor for the survival (P = 0.008, hazard ratio 23.424). Global chi-square test showed that LUV had significant incremental prognostic value in addition to prostate-specific antigen and the interval from progression to CRPC until bone SPECT/CT (P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Quantitative assessment of 99mTc-MDP bone SPECT images can provide valuable prognostic information in CRPC patients with bone metastases.

Impact of CT tube-voltage and bone density on the quantitative assessment of tracer uptake in Tc-99m bone SPECT/CT: A phantom study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of computed tomography (CT) tube voltage and CT density for CT-based attenuation correction (CTAC) on quantification of tracer uptake in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT. METHODS: A cylindrical phantom contained 7 cylinders with diameter of 30 mm. The central cylinder and background part were filled with 17 kBq/ml of 99mTc-pertechnetate solution. Of the remaining 6 cylinders, one cylinder was filled with water and 5 cylinders were filled with each own different concentration of K2HPO4 solution (120, 275, 450, 666, and 960 mg/cm3) to simulate different bone densities. The 6 cylinders also contained 99mTc-pertechnetate solution with the same radioactivity concentration (207 kBq/ml). CT scans were performed with 4 different tube voltages of 80, 100, 120, and 140 kVp for CTAC. The radioactivity concentration in the 6 cylinders were measured on the SPECT images processed with 4 different attenuation coefficient maps derived from each tube voltage of CT images. RESULTS: Compared with the water cylinder without K2HPO4 solution, the measured radioactivity of the highest density cylinder (K2HPO4 solution concentration: 960 mg/cm3) was found to be overestimated by 3.3 % and 4.3 %, respectively, when the tube voltage was 120 kVp and 140 kVp (p = 0.022). The use of low-tube voltage, such as 80 kVp, has improved the quantitative accuracy of bone SPECT/CT. CONCLUSIONS: SPECT quantitative evaluation of tracers in high-density objects tends to overestimate as tube voltage for CTAC increases. However, the overestimation in quantitative SPECT/CT evaluation in simulated bone area is less than 5% at most.

Prognostic value of noninvasive combined anatomic/functional assessment by cardiac CT in patients with suspected coronary artery disease - Comparison with invasive coronary angiography and nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging for the five-year-follow up of the CORE320 multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Few data exist on long-term outcome in patients undergoing combined coronary CT angiography (CTA) and myocardial CT perfusion imaging (CTP) as well as invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and single photon emission tomography (SPECT). METHODS: At 16 centers, 381 patients were followed for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) for the CORE320 study. All patients underwent coronary CTA, CTP, and SPECT before ICA within 60 days. Prognostic performance according binary results (normal/abnormal) was assessed by 5-year major cardiovascular events (MACE) free survival and area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: Follow up beyond 2-years was available in 323 patients. MACE-free survival rate was greater among patients with normal combined CTA-CTP findings compared to ICA-SPECT: 85 vs. 80% (95% confidence interval [CI] for difference 0.1, 11.3) though event-free survival time was similar (4.54 vs. 4.37 years, 95% CI for difference: -0.03, 0.36). Abnormal results by combined CTA-CTP was associated with 3.83 years event-free survival vs. 3.66 years after abnormal combined ICA-SPECT (95% CI for difference: -0.05, 0.39). Predicting MACE by AUC also was similar: 65 vs. 65 (difference 0.1; 95% CI -4.6, 4.9). When MACE was restricted to cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, AUC for CTA-CTP was 71 vs. 60 by ICA-SPECT (difference 11.2; 95% CI -1.0, 19.7). CONCLUSIONS: Combined CTA-CTP evaluation yields at least equal 5-year prognostic information as combined ICA-SPECT assessment in patients presenting with suspected coronary artery disease. Noninvasive cardiac CT assessment may eliminate the need for diagnostic cardiac catheterization in many patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00934037.

Quantification of extracellular volume fraction by cardiac computed tomography for noninvasive assessment of myocardial fibrosis in hemodialysis patients.

Extent of myocardial fibrosis in hemodialysis patients has been associated with poor prognosis. Myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) quantification using contrast enhanced cardiac computed tomography (CT) is a novel method to determine extent of myocardial fibrosis. Cardiac CT-based myocardial ECV in hemodialysis patients with those of propensity-matched non-hemodialysis control subjects were compared. Twenty hemodialysis patients (mean age, 67.4 ± 9.6 years; 80% male) and 20 propensity-matched non-hemodialysis controls (mean age, 66.3 ± 9.1 years; 85% male) who underwent comprehensive cardiac CT consisted of calcium scoring, coronary CT angiography, stress perfusion CT and delayed enhancement CT were evaluated. Myocardial ECV was significantly greater in the hemodialysis group than in the control group (33.8 ± 4.7% versus 26.6 ± 2.9%; P < 0.0001). In the hemodialysis group, modest correlation was evident between myocardial ECV and left atrial volume index (r = 0.54; P = 0.01), while there was no correlation between myocardial ECV and other cardiac parameters including left ventricular mass index and severity of myocardial ischemia. Cardiac CT-based myocardial ECV may offer a potential imaging biomarker for myocardial fibrosis in HD patients.

Assessment of coronary flow velocity reserve with phase-contrast cine magnetic resonance imaging in patients with heavy coronary calcification.

Coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) can be noninvasively measured by phase-contrast cine magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI). Heavy coronary calcification degrades the diagnostic accuracy for the detection of coronary arterial stenosis on computed tomography (CT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of CFVR measurement with PC-MRI for detecting significant coronary stenoses in patients with heavy coronary calcification. Sixteen patients (71 ± 8 years) with coronary calcium score above 400 who had suspected moderate coronary stenosis (50-69% diameter stenosis) on CT angiography were prospectively studied. The CFVR values, calculated as the ratio of peak flow velocity during hyperemia to the peak flow velocity at rest, were measured using breath-hold PC-MRI with 3 T system, and were compared with the results of quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). The mean coronary calcium score was 985 ± 378. CFVR was successfully determined with PC-MRI in 17/18 (94%) vessels. Using a threshold of 1.4 for CFVR, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value for detecting ≥ 50% stenosis on QCA was 88% (7/8), 89% (8/9), 88% (7/8), 89% (8/9), respectively. When MRI CFVR measurements was added to CT angiography for the evaluation of coronary stenosis, the positive predictive value was 88% (7/8), while the positive predictive value of CT angiography alone was 44% (8/18). PC-MRI can provide noninvasive detection of altered CFVR caused by significant stenosis in patient. CFVR measurement by PC-MRI is useful for diagnosing physiologically significant coronary stenosis in patients with high calcium score on CT.

Comparison of the different imaging time points in delayed phase cardiac CT for myocardial scar assessment and extracellular volume fraction estimation in patients with old myocardial infarction.

Delayed enhancement cardiac CT is a potential tool for myocardial viability assessment and is essential for extracellular volume fraction (ECV) estimation with CT. The objective of this study is to determine the optimal delay time for acquisition of delayed CT scans. Thirty-five patients with enhancement pattern typical of previous myocardial infarction on delayed CT and 17 control subjects comprised the study population. Delayed scans were acquired at 3, 5 and 7 min after contrast material injection. Image quality and estimated ECV were compared among the three time points. Delayed CT at 5 min showed the highest signal-to-noise ratio of 15.2 ± 1.0 [p < 0.0001; vs. 3 min (13.6 ± 1.0), p = 0.0015; vs. 7 min (14.9 ± 1.0)]. Contrast-to-noise ratio of infarcted and remote myocardium was highest at 7 min (6.4 ± 2.5), but was not significantly different from 5 min (6.1 ± 2.2, p = 0.08). The ECV values were constant over the three time points, although, in segments containing infarcted myocardium, trend of lower values was noted at 3 min compared to 5 and 7 min. ECV values at 5 min was 27.1% ± 2.1% in control subjects, 27.2% ± 3.0% in remote segments of patients with infarction, and 39.6% ± 5.3% in segments containing infarcted myocardium. Myocardial scars are equally best visualized with delay time of 5 and 7 min post contrast administration. No significant difference was observed in ECV of healthy myocardium or focal scars among delay time of 3, 5, and 7 min. Delay time of 5 min after contrast injection may be recommended for CT delayed enhancement imaging.

Combined Assessment of Stress Myocardial Perfusion Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and Flow Measurement in the Coronary Sinus Improves Prediction of Functionally Significant Coronary Stenosis Determined by Fractional Flow Reserve in Multivessel Disease.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies using stress-rest perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) demonstrated a close correlation between myocardial ischemia and reduced fractional flow reserve (FFR). However, its diagnostic concordance may be reduced in patients with multivessel disease. We sought to evaluate the concordance of adenosine stress-rest perfusion CMR for predicting reduced FFR, and to determine the additive value of measuring global coronary flow reserve (CFR) in the coronary sinus in multivessel disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ninety-six patients with angiographic luminal narrowing >50% underwent comprehensive CMR study and FFR measurements in 139 coronary vessels. FFR <0.80 was considered hemodynamically significant. Global CFR was quantified as the ratio of stress-rest coronary sinus flow measured by phase-contrast cine CMR. In 25 patients with single-vessel disease, visual assessment of perfusion CMR yielded high diagnostic concordance for predicting flow-limiting stenosis, with the area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.93 on a per-patient basis. However, in 71 patients with multivessel disease, perfusion CMR underestimated flow-limiting stenosis, resulting in the reduced area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.74. When CFR of <2.0 measured in the coronary sinus was considered as global myocardial ischemia, combined assessment provided correct reclassifications in 7 patients with false-negative myocardial ischemia, and improved the diagnostic concordance to 92% sensitivity and 73% specificity with the area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.80%-0.97%, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Visual analysis of stress-rest perfusion CMR has limited concordance with FFR in patients with multivessel disease. Multiparametric CMR integrating stress-rest perfusion CMR and flow measurement in the coronary sinus is useful for detecting reduced FFR in multivessel disease.

Native T1 Mapping and Extracellular Volume Mapping for the Assessment of Diffuse Myocardial Fibrosis in Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the histological correlation of native myocardial T1 and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) measurement at 3-T for the assessment of diffuse pathological changes in the myocardial tissue, including myocardial fibrosis and extracellular space in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). BACKGROUND: Cardiac magnetic resonance T1 techniques allow the quantification of diffuse myocardial fibrosis. However, there are no definitive head-to-head studies of native T1 versus ECV for the detection, quantification, and characterization of pathological changes in the myocardial tissue in DCM by using histological samples for confirmation. METHODS: A total of 36 subjects with DCM (31 men, mean age 56 ± 16 years) underwent pre- and post-contrast T1 mapping as well as late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance at 3-T. Biopsy samples were used for the quantification of collagen volume fraction using picrosirius red staining and an extracellular space component from hematoxylin and eosin-stained myocardium. RESULTS: Nonischemic LGE was observed in 14 of 36 patients. Although patients with LGE had significantly greater biopsy-proven collagen volume fraction than those without LGE (21 ± 12% vs. 11 ± 8%; p < 0.01), there was substantial overlap of collagen volume fraction values between patients with and without LGE. Both native T1 value and ECV were similarly and significantly associated with biopsy-proven collagen volume fraction (r = 0.77 and r = 0.66, respectively; p < 0.05). Furthermore, ECV had a strong correlation with the biopsy-proven extracellular space component (r = 0.86), whereas native T1 had only a moderate correlation (r = 0.55). Interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility for native T1 and ECV were 0.89, 0.95, 0.96, and 0.98, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Native T1 exhibited comparable ability as ECV measurement in the detection and quantification of histological collagen volume fraction, with high reproducibility, and therefore diffuse myocardial fibrosis in DCM may be reliably assessed by native T1 mapping without the administration of gadolinium contrast agent. In addition, cardiac magnetic resonance-derived ECV showed excellent agreement with histological extracellular space.

Comparison of Displacement Encoding With Stimulated Echoes to Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking for the Assessment of Myocardial Strain in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

The aim of this study was to compare myocardial strain by cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT) to those derived from displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Twenty patients (65 pa13 years) with AMI underwent cine, DENSE, black-blood T2-weighted and late gadolinium enhancement CMR at 1.5 T. Global and segmental strain was determined by CMR-FT analysis and DENSE on matched 3 short-axis planes. Global circumferential strain by CMR-FT showed a good agreement with that by DENSE (r = 0.85, p <0.001; bias 0.02, limits of agreement -0.03 to 0.06). For segmental circumferential strain, r coefficient between CMR-FT and DENSE was 0.61 (p <0.001) with bias of 0.02, limits of agreement of -0.07 to 0.11. Regional circumferential strain determined by CMR-FT in infarct segments (-0.08 ± 0.05) was significantly altered compared with that in remote normal segments (-0.15 ± 0.05, p <0.001). CMR-FT measurement of regional and global circumferential strain showed good agreement with DENSE in patients with AMI.

Magnetic resonance of coronary arteries: assessment of luminal narrowing and blood flow in the coronary arteries.

The assessment of luminal narrowing and altered blood flow in the coronary artery is challenging because of the small size of the vessel and the complex motion caused by cardiac contraction and respiration. Free-breathing, whole-heart coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has been introduced as a method that can provide visualization of all 3 major coronary arteries within a single 3-dimensional acquisition, either by using 1.5 T steady-state free precession or 3 T gradient-echo sequences. Recent studies have indicated that coronary MRA has sufficient diagnostic accuracy for excluding coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with suspected CAD. Furthermore, coronary MRA can provide risk stratification for future cardiac events. In addition to the morphologic assessment of the coronary artery, phase-contrast cine MR imaging has unique advantages because it allows for measurement of blood flow and flow reserve in the coronary arteries. Comprehensive assessment of the morphology and blood flow in the coronary artery has a great potential in noninvasive detection of physiologically significant CAD that requires revascularization. The aim of this review is to provide an update on current technical improvements in coronary MRA and MR flow measurement of coronary arteries.

Altered coronary endothelial function in young smokers detected by magnetic resonance assessment of myocardial blood flow during the cold pressor test.

Endothelial dysfunction is a key element in early atherogenesis. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance (MR) assessment of altered myocardial blood flow (MBF) in response to the cold pressor test (CPT) and to determine if coronary endothelial dysfunction in young smokers can be detected with this noninvasive approach. Fourteen healthy non-smokers (31 ± 6 years) and 12 smokers (34 ± 8 years) were studied. Breath-hold phase-contrast cine MR imaging (PC-MRI) of the coronary sinus (CS) were obtained at rest and during the CPT. MBF was measured as CS flow divided by left ventricle mass and the rate pressure product. In non-smokers, MBF was 0.88 ± 0.19 ml/min/g at rest and significantly increased to 1.13 ± 0.26 ml/min/g during the CPT (P = 0.0001). In smokers, MBF was 0.94 ± 0.26 ml/min/g at rest and 0.96 ± 0.30 ml/min/g during the CPT (P = 0.73). ΔMBF (MBF during the CPT-MBF at rest) was significantly reduced in smokers compared with non-smokers (0.02 ± 0.20 vs. 0.26 ± 0.18 ml/min/g, P = 0.005). The intra-class correlation coefficient between measurements by two observers was 0.90 for ΔMBF. A significant reduction in MBF response to CPT was demonstrated in young smokers with PC-MRI at 1.5 T. This noninvasive method has great potential for assessment of coronary endothelial function.

Detection of diminished response to cold pressor test in smokers: assessment using phase-contrast cine magnetic resonance imaging of the coronary sinus.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the reproducibility for measuring the cold pressor test (CPT)-induced myocardial blood flow (MBF) alteration using phase-contrast (PC) cine MRI, and to determine if this approach could detect altered MBF response to CPT in smokers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After obtaining informed consent, ten healthy male non-smokers (mean age: 28±5 years) and ten age-matched male smokers (smoking duration ≥5 years, mean age: 28±3 years) were examined in this institutional review board approved study. Breath-hold PC cine MR images of the coronary sinus were obtained with a 3T MR imager with 32 channel coils at rest and during a CPT performed after immersing one foot in ice water. MBF was calculated as coronary sinus flow divided by the left ventricular (LV) mass which was given as a total LV myocardial volume measured on cine MRI multiplied by the specific gravity (1.05 g/mL). RESULTS: In non-smokers, MBF was 0.86±0.25 mL/min/g at rest, with a significant increase to 1.20±0.36 mL/min/g seen during CPT (percentage change of MBF (∆MBF (%)); 39.2%±14.4%, p<0.001). Inter-study reproducibility for ∆MBF (%) measurements by different MR technologist was good, as indicated by the intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.93 and reproducibility coefficient of 10.5%. There was no significant difference between smokers and non-smokers for resting MBF (0.85±0.32 mL/min/g, p=0.91). However, ∆MBF (%) in smokers was significantly reduced (-4.0±32.2% vs. 39.2±14.4%, p=0.011). CONCLUSION: PC cine MRI can be used to reproducibly quantify MBF response to CPT and to detect impaired flow response in smokers. This MR approach may be useful for monitoring the sequential change of coronary blood flow in various potentially pathologic conditions and for investigating its relationship with cardiovascular risk.

Model-based iterative reconstruction for multi-detector row CT assessment of the Adamkiewicz artery.

PURPOSE: To determine if model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) can improve visualization of the Adamkiewicz artery on multi-detector row computed tomographic (CT) images compared with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and filtered back projection (FBP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board, and written informed consent for the CT examination was obtained. Thirty-three patients underwent contrast material-enhanced 64-section multi-detector row CT for assessment of aortic aneurysm or dissection. Helical data were reconstructed by using FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. The signal-to-noise ratio of the aorta and contrast-to-noise ratio of the anterior spinal artery relative to the spinal cord were measured on multiplanar reformatted images. Visualization of the Adamkiewicz artery and its continuity with the intercostal or lumbar artery were evaluated by using a four-point scale. All image analyses were performed by two blinded, independent observers. The one-way analysis of variance and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: MBIR showed significantly better signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios than did ASIR and FBP (P < .05 for all comparisons) with good interobserver agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.93 for signal-to-noise ratio and 0.75 for contrast-to-noise ratio). The visualization score of the Adamkiewicz artery was also significantly better when MBIR was used (3.4 ± 0.8 and 3.6 ± 0.7 for observers A and B, respectively) than when ASIR (2.7 ± 1.1 and 3.0 ± 1.0, respectively) or FBP (2.5 ± 1.2 and 3.1 ± 0.9, respectively) was used. CONCLUSION: Use of the MBIR algorithm led to improved multi-detector row CT visualization of the Adamkiewicz artery when compared with the use of ASIR and FBP.

Quantitative assessment of myocardial strain with displacement encoding with stimulated echoes MRI in patients with coronary artery disease.

To determine the diagnostic performance and reproducibility of strain assessment with displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in identifying contractile abnormalities in myocardial segments with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). DENSE CMR was obtained on short-axis planes of the left ventricle (LV) in 24 patients with suspected coronary artery disease. e1 and e2 strains of LV wall were quantified. Cine MRI was acquired to determine percent systolic wall thickening (%SWT), followed by (LGE) CMR. The diagnostic performance of e1, e2 and %SWT for predicting the presence of LGE was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. Myocardial scar on LGE CMR was observed in 91 (24 %) of 384 segments. The area under ROC curve for predicting the segments with LGE was 0.874 by e1, 0.916 by e2 and 0.828 by %SWT (p = 0.001 between e2 and %SWT). Excellent inter-observer reproducibility was found for strain [Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.962 for e1, 0.955 for e2] as compared with %SWT (ICC = 0.790). DENSE CMR can be performed as a part of routine CMR study and allows for quantification of myocardial strain with high inter-observer reproducibility. Myocardial strain, especially e2 is useful in detecting altered abnormal systolic contraction in the segments with myocardial scar.

Experimental assessment of temperature influence on miriplatin and cisplatin iodized-oil suspension viscosity.

PURPOSE: To evaluate differences in the viscosity of a platinum iodized-oil suspension on the kind of platinum agent and temperature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Viscosities of a 70 mg miriplatin and 3.5 ml iodized-oil suspension (MO suspension) and that of 100 mg cisplatin and 10 ml iodized-oil suspension (CO suspension) were evaluated at three temperatures: 25, 37, and 50 °C. Iodized-oil was used as the control. Each liquid was injected into a capillary tube and allowed to drip separately. The liquid transit time was measured, and the viscosity of each liquid was calculated at each temperature. RESULTS: The viscosity of each liquid decreased as the temperature increased: 43.3 ± 0.5, 39.2 ± 0.7, and 34.7 ± 0.6 mPa s for MO suspension, 41.3 ± 0.2, 36.9 ± 0.3, and 32.7 ± 0.9 mPa s for CO suspension, and 40.5 ± 0.2, 36.8 ± 0.2, and 33.8 ± 0.7 mPa s for iodized-oil at 25, 37, and 50 °C, respectively. The MO suspension group viscosity was significantly higher than that of the CO suspension group (p < 0.05) and the control (p < 0.05). Significant differences were found in viscosities among groups divided by temperature (25 °C-group vs. 37 °C-group, p < 0.05; 37 °C-group vs. 50 °C-group, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The viscosity of the platinum iodized-oil suspension can be adjusted by changing temperature.