Ultrahigh Field CMR for the Assessment of Cardiac Function – Scan Rescan Reproducibility and Shim Limitations

In this study we aim to analyze blood tissue contrast (BTC), SNR, and reproducibility in measurements of cardiac function at 7T. Furthermore, we assess shim quality and its impact on image quality as well as T2*. Measurements are performed in n=7 healthy volunteers using a 7T system. Diastolic BTC and SNR in scan1 and scan2 were 2.14±0.24 and 2.22±0.33 as well as 96±35 and 105±29, respectively. Reproducibility assessed via intra class correlation coefficient was found to be excellent for ejection fraction (0.93), myocardial mass (0.99), stroke volume (0.91), end-systolic volume (0.94), and end-diastolic volume (0.93).