3D LGE MRI at 3T for the Detection of Chronic Scars after RF Ablation in the Right Atrium: Assessment of Precision in a Porcine Study

RF ablation is an established treatment option for cardiac arrhythmia. After RF ablation the scar can be assessed with LGE MRI. However, imaging of scars in the right atrium (RA) remains difficult due to the small geometry. In this animal study, we assessed the conspicuity of chronic RA scars by comparing scar extent on MRI to ex vivo anatomical dissected preparations. We show, the detection of chronic RF ablation scars in the RA is feasible but with limited precision. The presented comparison to gross histology provides and important evaluation of RF ablation scar conspicuity in LGE MRI.