Tobias Frauenrath1,2, Fabian Hezel3,4, Jane F. Utting3, Gabriele A. Krombach3, Thoralf Niendorf3,5
1Department of Radiology, University
Hospital,, RWTH Aachen, Germany; 2Department of Phoniatrics,
Pedaudiology and Communication Disorders, University Hospital,, RWTH Aachen,
Germany; 3Department of Radiology, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen,
Germany; 4Institute for Signal Processing, University of Luebeck,
Germany; 5Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural
Science, RWTH Aachen, Germany
As high-field cardiac MRI becomes more widespread the propensity of ECG recordings to interference from electromagnetic fields increases and with it the motivation for a practical gating/triggering alternative. This study explores the feasibility, efficacy and reliability of acoustic cardiac triggering (ACT) for 2D CINE SSFP imaging at 1.5 T and 3.0 T including left ventricular function and endocardial border sharpness assessment. The MR stethoscopes intrinsic insensitivity to interference with electro-magnetic fields and hydro-dynamic effects renders it suitable for assessment of global cardiac function due to its excellent trigger reliability even at high magnetic field strengths.