MRI of Heart Morphology

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: A large variety of cardiac MRI sequences have been introduced for heart morphology evaluation. The aim of this study was to establish a practicable and robust examination protocol for standard high-field systems applying nongradient echo sequences with single- and multi-slice acquisition. METHODS: Fifty-one patients received electrocardiogramgated MRI of the heart with "black-blood" preparation, comparing three single-slice and three multislice sequences with a T1-weighted turbo spin echo reference sequence. Demarcation of the left ventricular myocardium and cavity and the extent of flow and motion artifacts were assessed. RESULTS: The myocardium and left ventricular cavity were depicted best with the single-slice T1- and T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence. The nonbreath-hold multislice sequences produced marked artifacts and therefore were of poor diagnostic value. The TIRM haste sequence was best suited for fat suppression. The T2-weighted breath-hold single-shot sequence with half-Fourier imaging proved to be most appropriate for multislice imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Sufficient depiction of heart morphology with comprehensive evaluation of signal changes can be achieved using nongradient spin echo and turbo spin echo sequences with breath-holding. For rational imaging of myocardial and heart chamber morphology, multislice and single-slice sequences should be combined.