Dynamic contrast-enhanced myocardial perfusion imaging using saturation-prepared TrueFISP

Purpose: To develop and test a saturation-recovery True-FISP (SR-TrueFISP) pulse sequence for first pass myocardial perfusion imaging. Materials and Methods: First-pass magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of Gd-DTPA (2 ml) kinetics in the heart was performed using an SR-TrueFISP pulse sequence ITR/TE/alpha = 2.6 msec/1.4 msec/55degrees) with saturation preparation TD = 30 msec before the TrueFISP readout. Measurements were also performed with a conventional saturation-recovery TurboFLASH (SRTF) pulse sequence for comparison. Results: SR-TrueFISP images were of excellent quality and demonstrated contrast agent wash-in more clearly than SRTF images. The signal increase in myocardium was higher in SR-TrueFISP than in SRTF data. Precontrast SNR and peak CNR were not significantly different between both sequences despite 57% improved spatial resolution for SR-TrueFISP. Conclusion: SR-TrueFISP first-pass MRI of myocardial perfusion leads to a substantial improvement of image quality and spatial resolution. It is well suited for first-pass myocardial perfusion studies at cardiovascular MR systems with improved gradient hardware.