Comparison between fast MR flow quntification in breathhold technique in ascending aorta and pulmonary trunc with right and left ventricular cine-MRI for the assessment of stroke volumes in healthy volunteers

Purpose: Evaluation of accordance and reproducibility of the stroke volume assessment of fast flow measurement in breath-hold technique in the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunc with fast right (RV) and left ventricular (LV) cine-MRI. Material and Methods: The correlation an accordance of stroke volumes (SV) were evaluated by flow measurements in the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunc and RV and LV volumetric cine-MRI in 33 cardiac healthy volunteers, Interobserver and intraobserver variability of the different measurement methods and locations were checked in 10 cardiac healthy volunteers. Results: With respect to the early systolic flow and the extrapolation of the endiastolic flow rate the difference in SV was smaller than 1,5 ml/m(2) for all possible combinations. The interobserver and intraobserver variabilities of flow measurements were significantly lower by approximately a factor of 2.5 than those of RV and LV cine-MRI. Conclusion: The accordance of fast prospective triggered flow measurements in the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunc with RV and LV cine-MRI can be achieved with reasonable limits of agreement. Flow measurements are more reproducible than cine-MRI.