Image-navigated 3-dimensional late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging: Feasibility and initial clinical results

Background: image-navigated 3-dimensional late gadolinium enhancement (inav-3d lge) is an advanced imaging technique that allows for direct respiratory motion correction of the heart. its feasibility in a routine clinical setting has not been validated. methods: twenty-three consecutive patients referred for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (cmr) examination including late gadolinium enhancement (lge) imaging were prospectively enrolled. image-navigated free-breathing 3-dimensional (3d) t1-weighted gradient-echo lge and two-dimensional (2d lge) images were acquired in random order on a 1.5 t cmr system. images were assessed for global,segmental lge detection and transmural extent. objective image quality including signal-to-noise (snr),contrast-to-noise (cnr) and myocardial/blood sharpness were performed. results: interpretable images were obtained in all 2d-lge and in 22/23 inav-3d lge exams,resulting in a total of 22 datasets and 352 segments. lge was detected in 5 patients with ischemic pattern,in 7 with non-ischemic pattern,while it was absent in 10 cases. there was an excellent agreement between 2d and 3d data sets with regard to global,segmental lge detection and transmurality. blood-myocardium sharpness measurements were also comparable between the two techniques. snrblood and cnrblood-myo was significantly higher for 2d lge (p < 0.001,respectively),while snrmyo was not statistically significant between 2d lge and inav-3d lge. conclusion: diagnostic performance of inav-3d lge was comparable to 2d lge in a prospective clinical setting. snrblood and cnrblood-myo was significantly lower in the inav-3d lge group. © 2017 the author(s).