Cardiac phase contrast gradient echo MRI: Characterization of abnormal left ventricular wall motion in patients with ischemic heart disease

Purpose: In our patient study, we examined the clinical usefulness of phase contrast velocity mapping for the detection and characterization of localized abnormalities of left ventricular motion. Materials and Methods: Velocity encoding is based on the fact that motion in the presence of a magnetic field gradient causes a change of the phase of the MRI signal that is proportional to the velocity of tissue motion. Left ventricular motion was characterized by parameters describing rotation and contraction/dilatation, respectively. We examined 34 patients with localized abnormalities of left ventricular motion due to ischemic heart disease. Results: Three patients could not be sufficiently evaluated due to technical problems including varying positions of the heart during successive breathhold periods. In 27 of the remaining 31 patients, MRI could demonstrate abnormal radial velocities that corresponded fully or partly with perfusion deficits in single photon emission computed tomography or positron emission tomography. The abnormalities were most pronounced in early diastole. Rotational velocities did not show any regional changes. Conclusion: Our study showed that our technique is suitable for the detection and characterization of localized abnormalities of left ventricular motion in patients with ischemic heart disease.