Diagnostic performance of myocardial perfusion MR at 3 T in patients with coronary artery disease

Purpose: To prospectively determine the diagnostic performance of myocardial perfusion magnetic resonance (MR)imaging at 3 T for helping depict clinically relevant coronary artery stenosis (>= 50% diameter) in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD), with coronary angiography as the reference standard. Materials and Methods: The study was approved by the local ethics committee; written informed consent was obtained. Vasodilator stress perfusion imaging by using a turbo field-echo sequence was obtained in 101 patients (71 men, 30 women; mean age, 62 years +/- 7.7 [standard deviation]) scheduled for coronary angiography. Myocardial ischemia was defined as stress-inducible perfusion deficit in arterial territories without delayed enhancement (DE) or additional stress-inducible perfusion deficit in territories with nontransmural DE. Images were evaluated in consensus by two blinded readers. Diagnostic performance was determined on perpatient and per - coronary artery territory bases. The number of dark rim artifacts in patients without DE was determined in a second read. Interobserver variability was assessed in 40 randomly selected patients. Results: One hundred one patients underwent MR examinations. Coronary angiography depicted relevant stenosis in 70 (69%) patients. Patient-based sensitivity and specificity were 90% and 71%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of coronary stenosis in a specific territory were 76%, 89%, and 86%, respectively. In 24% of patients without DE, dark rim artifacts were detected, mostly in the left anterior descending artery territory (56%). Among 40 randomly selected patients, there was agreement in the determination of myocardial perfusion deficits in 37 (93%, kappa = 0.79) patients. Conclusion: Myocardial perfusion MR imaging by using saturation-recovery spoiled gradient-echo imaging at 3 T has an accuracy of 84% for depicting hemodynamically relevant coronary artery stenosis in patients with suspected and known CAD. (c) RSNA, 2008.