Left ventricular volume measurements with free breathing respiratory self-gated 3-dimensional golden angle radial whole-heart cine imaging - Feasibility and reproducibility

Abstract

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a free breathing respiratory self-gated isotropic resolution technique for left ventricular (LV) volume measurements.

Methods: A 3D radial trajectory with double golden-angle ordering was used for free-running data acquisition during free breathing in 9 healthy volunteers. A respiratory self-gating signal was extracted from the center of k-space and used with the electrocardiogram to bin all data into 3 respiratory and 25 cardiac phases. 3D image volumes were reconstructed and the LV endocardial border was segmented. LV volume measurements and reproducibility from 3D free breathing cine were compared to conventional 2D breath-held cine.

Results: No difference was found between 3D free breathing cine and 2D breath-held cine with regards to LV ejection fraction, stroke volume, end-systolic volume and end-diastolic volume (P<0.05 for all). The test-retest differences did not differ between 3D free breathing cine and 2D breath-held cine (P<0.05 for all).

Conclusion: 3D free breathing cine and conventional 2D breath-held cine showed similar values and test-retest repeatability for LV volumes in healthy volunteers. 3D free breathing cine enabled retrospective sorting and arbitrary angulation of isotropic data, and could correctly measure LV volumes during free breathing acquisition.

Keywords: 3-dimensional; Cine imaging; Free breathing; Golden angle; Volumetrics.