Coronary Artery Distensibility Assessed by 3.0 T Cardiac MRI

Sebastian Kelle¹, Allison G. Hays¹, Glenn A. Hirsch¹, Gary Gerstenblith¹, Robert G. Weiss¹, Matthias Stuber¹

We used 3T MRI to non-invasively assess human coronary artery vessel wall distensibility and observed significant differences between healthy subjects and CAD patients. With the available data to date, we do not observe a significant correlation between coronary artery distensibility and aortic distensibility either in healthy adults or CAD atients. This new methodology may support the non-invasive characterization of ascular anatomy and function in healthy and diseased states, as well as the response to interventions in patients with, or at increased risk for, CAD.