Multi-Slice Breathhold Phase-Sensitive Coronary Vessel Wall Imaging at 3T

Khaled Z. Abd-Elmoniem¹, Matthias Stuber¹

Black-blood coronary vessel wall imaging is a powerful non-invasive tool for the quantitative assessment of atherosclerotic positive arterial remodeling. Although dual-inversion-recovery (DIR) is the current standard for black-blood coronary vessel wall imaging, optimization of lumen-vessel wall contrast is associated with competing requirements related to TI* (blood signal nulling time), TD (period of minimal myocardial motion), and heart rate. Because of these constraints, the collection of multi slice data during the same cardiac cycle is not easily possible. For these reasons, we have exploited phase-sensitive dual-inversion recovery (PS-DIR) and combined it with a multi-slice spiral signal readout for black-blood coronary vessel wall imaging. Phantom and in vivo data are discussed.