Anja Lutz1, Axel Bornstedt1,
Patrick Etyngier2, Robert Manzke3, Wolfgang Rottbauer1,
G. Ulrich Nienhaus4, Volker Rasche1
1University Hospital of
Ulm, Ulm, BW, Germany; 2Medisys Research Lab, Philips Healthcare,
Sureness, France; 3Philips Research NA, Briarcliff Manor, United
States; 4Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
Three-dimensional assessment of the myocardial contraction is gaining increasing interest e.g. for the identification of heart failure patients gaining from cardiac resynchronization therapy. For a complete understanding of the complex contraction pattern, direct velocity encoding of the myocardium appears attractive. It is the objective of this study to investigate the feasibility of volumetric whole-heart three-directional velocity encoded MRI for retrieving the complex contraction pattern of the heart. A strong variation of the radial, longitudinal and circumferential myocardial motion over different short axes regions of the heart was detected.