Eugene G. Kholmovski1, Sathya Vijayakumar1, Nassir F. Marrouche2
1UCAIR, Department of Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 2Department of Cardiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Pulmonary vein isolation using RF ablation is becoming a method of choice for treatment of atrium fibrillation. High-resolution, 3D delayed enhancement MRI (DE-MRI) can be used to detect post-ablation scarring. Visualization of the scar tissue in left atrium wall strongly depends on choice of inversion time for DE-MRI scan. Furthermore, lipid-rich anatomical structures adjacent to left atrium can be easily mistaken for scar tissue. Phase sensitive reconstruction using phase of aorta wall as reference is proposed to enhance contrast between scar tissue and the lipid-rich tissues and improve visualization of scar.