Taehoon Shin1, Padmini Varadarajan2, Ramdas G. Pai2, Gerald M. Pohost1,3, Krishna S. Nayak1
1Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 2Division of Cardiology, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA, USA; 3Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Three-dimensional (3D) MR first-pass myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is a promising alternative to conventional 2D multi-slice MPI, and typically involves acquiring data at mid-diastole where the heart is the most stationary. End-systole is the second longest quiescent period, and may be an opportune time interval for data collection due to its reduced sensitivity to heart rate variation and arrhythmia. To test this hypothesis, we have performed 3D MPI in healthy volunteers, which involved acquiring 3D perfusion time courses at both end-systole and mid-diastole. Image quality and time-intensity curves are compared.