Magnetization Transfer (MT) effect in balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) has been demonstrated in acute myocardial infarction (MI). However, whether MT effect influences image contrast in bSSFP acquisitions of chronic MI has not been investigated. We studied this using a collagen phantom and large animal models with chronic MI. We found the bSSFP MT ratio to be more than 2-fold higher in the chronic MI zone compared to uninfarcted myocardium. Our findings support the notion that a strong MT contrast in bSSFP acquisitions, likely from collagen deposition within chronic MI, is available for discriminating chronic MI territories without contrast agents.
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