Key result
Ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI is a promising contrast-free imaging technique for directly visualizing cardiovascular fibrosis, though its clinical application is currently limited by technical challenges.
Why the study?
Standard MRI techniques for phenotyping cardiac fibrosis require gadolinium-based contrast, face challenges in patients with cardiac devices, and are limited for serial evaluation, highlighting the clinical need for a method to directly measure collagen amount.
UTE MRI offers a potential contrast-free alternative to late gadolinium enhancement for mapping cardiovascular fibrosis, which could be particularly beneficial for patients with renal impairment or cardiac devices.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Cardiac fibrosis MRI may refine risk stratification and therapy guidance; leaves open non-contrast protocol validation before clinical adoption.
Increased collagen, or fibrosis, is an important marker of disease and may improve identification of patients at risk. In addition, fibrosis imaging may play an increasing role in guiding therapy and monitoring its effectiveness. MRI is the most frequently used modality to detect, visualize and quantify fibrosis non-invasively. However, standard MRI techniques used to phenotype cardiac fibrosis such as delayed enhancement and extracellular volume determination by T 1 mapping, require the administration of gadolinium-based contrast and are particularly difficult to use in patients with cardiac devices such as pacemakers and automatic defibrillators. Therefore, such methods are limited in the serial evaluation of cardiovascular fibrosis as part of chronic disease monitoring. A method to directly measure collagen amount could be of great clinical benefit. In the current review we will discuss the potential of a novel MR technique, ultrashort echo time (UTE) MR, for fibrosis imaging. Although UTE imaging is successfully applied in other body areas such as musculoskeletal applications, there is very limited experience so far in the heart. We will review the established methods and currently available literature, discuss the technical considerations and challenges, show preliminary in vivo images and provide a future outlook on potential applications of cardiovascular UTE.
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Schuijf et al. (2019) conducted a review in Cardiovascular fibrosis. Ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI vs. Standard MRI techniques (LGE, T1 mapping) was evaluated. Ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI is a promising contrast-free imaging technique for directly visualizing cardiovascular fibrosis, though its clinical application is currently limited by technical challenges.
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