Abstract #3571
Cardiac BOLD Imaging with Cine 2D-Balanced SSFP
Dharmakumar R, Tang R, Harris K, Larson A, Chung Y, Wright G, Li D
Northwestern University
Poor image quality, long scan times, and inadequate oxygen sensitivity have been the limitation for cardiac BOLD imaging. Based on recent observations of oxygen-sensitive contrast with steady-state methods, this work examines the potential of 2D-balanced SSFP imaging for detecting myocardial oxygen deficits due to coronary stenosis in an animal model. The results show that high quality temporally resolved images showing BOLD contrast may be obtained within the framework of cine imaging. The cine imaging allows for simultaneous detection of wall motion abnormalities and flow/oxygen deficit regions within a single breath hold.