Cardiac MRI
Cardiac MR is a very versatile technique, which allows comprehensive understanding of various parameters of the pathophysiology of the heart. Indeed, using different pulse sequences, CMR allows to acquire not only anatomical imaging, but also cardiac function and flow velocity. After injection of Gadolinium contrast agents, it also allows to assess myocardial perfusion. An unique property of these contrast agents is their extracellular distribution with accumulation in regions of fibrosis. Thereby they allow to perform tissue characterization by detection of myocardial infarction and intramyocardial fibrosis. Finally cMR also allows to non-invasively detect coronary artery anatomy.
Our recent works have focused on non-invasive tissue characterization and detection of myocardial fibrosis by measurement of extracellular distribution volume to Gd based contrast agents, and by measurement of native T1 T2 and T2* times. We have used this technique to characterize the myocardium in various cardiomyopathies, heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction, congenital heart disease and valvular heart disease.
We also recently applied small animal CMR at 11.5 T for imaging of mice and phenotypic characterization of knock-out/knock-in gene models.
Examples of cardiac CMR sequences in man.
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| Cine Imaging | Phase-contrast imaging | Tagging | Coronary Imaging |
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| T1 imaging, Fatsat | LGE infarct imaging | Perfusion | T1, T2, T2* mapping |
Examples of high field CMR in mice
Recent publications
- de Meester de Ravenstein C, Bouzin C, Lazam S, Boulif J, Amzulescu M, Melchior J, Pasquet A, Vancraeynest D, Pouleur AC, Vanoverschelde JL, Gerber BL.Histological Validation of measurement of diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis by myocardial extravascular volume fraction from Modified Look-Locker imaging (MOLLI) T1 mapping at 3 T. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2015 Jun 11;17:48.
- Barone-Rochette G, Piérard S, De Meester de Ravenstein C, Seldrum S, Melchior J, Maes F, Pouleur AC, Vancraeynest D, Pasquet A, Vanoverschelde JL, Gerber BL.Prognostic significance of LGE by CMR in aortic stenosis patients undergoing valve replacement. Am Coll Cardiol. 2014 Jul 15;64(2):144-54.
- Myocardial first-pass perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance: history, theory, and current state of the art. Gerber BL, Raman SV, Nayak K, Epstein FH, Ferreira P, Axel L, Kraitchman DL.
- J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2008 Apr 28;10:18. doi: 10.1186/1532-429X-10-18. Review.
- Gerber BL.Eur Heart J. 2008 Feb;29(4):434-5.