Multi-echo fat-water separated MRI provides a sensitive means of detecting intramyocardial fat with positive contrast and resolves artifacts associated with conventional chemical-shift fat suppression.
The presence of intramyocardial fat may form a substrate for arrhythmias, and fibrofatty infiltration of the myocardium has been shown to be associated with sudden death. Therefore, noninvasive detection could have high prognostic value. Fat-water-separated imaging in the heart by MRI is a sensitive means of detecting intramyocardial fat and characterizing fibrofatty infiltration. It is also useful in characterizing fatty tumors and delineating epicardial and/or pericardial fat. Multi-echo methods for fat and water separation provide a sensitive means of detecting small concentrations of fat with positive contrast and have a number of advantages over conventional chemical-shift fat suppression. Furthermore, fat and water-separated imaging is useful in resolving artifacts that may arise due to the presence of fat. Examples of fat-water-separated imaging of the heart are presented for patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathies, as well as general tissue classification.
Kellman et al. (Wed,) conducted a review in Cardiomyopathies. Fat-water separated MRI vs. Conventional chemical-shift fat suppression was evaluated. Multi-echo fat-water separated MRI provides a sensitive means of detecting intramyocardial fat with positive contrast and resolves artifacts associated with conventional chemical-shift fat suppression.