Xiaodong Zhong1,2, Craig H. Meyer1,3, Christopher M. Kramer3, Frederick H. Epstein1,3
1Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA; 2MR R&D Collaborations, Siemens Medical Solutions, Atlanta, GA, USA; 3Radiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
A free-breathing navigator-gated 3D spiral cine DENSE pulse sequence and the corresponding data analysis algorithms were developed that provide high spatial and temporal resolutions, coverage of the entire left ventricle (LV), and measurement of 3D strain with a scan time of approximately 20 minutes. In normal volunteers, the resulting strain data show good agreement with those from 2D cine DENSE. With additional development aimed at further shortening the scan time and automating image analysis, these methods may enable routine clinical imaging that completely quantifies contractile function throughout the LV in patients with contractile dysfunction.