Coronary sinus flow reserve in response to cold pressor stress in healthy women using velocity-encoded cine (VEC) spiral 3 T MRI

Despite the overwhelming focus on obstructive coronary artery disease over the last few decades, considerable cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is caused by diffuse, non-obstructive disease for which traditional cardiovascular imaging techniques are not suitable. Novel noninvasive techniques that can detect changes in global myocardial perfusion and function might improve the clinical management of patients with diffuse cardiac disease. Coronary sinus flow imaging by velocity-encoding cine MRI has previously been described as a useful measure of global left ventricular perfusion in patients with heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, and cardiac transplants. To our knowledge, this technique has not been investigated using a spiral 3 T MRI technique, which could potentially enhance vessel wall delineation and accelerate scan time.