Abstract #1269

Coronary Vein Imaging is Optimal During the Systolic Rest Period in CRT Patients

Jonathan Suever¹, Pierre Watson², John Oshinski^1,2

¹Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology / Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States; ²Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States

The objective was to quantify periods of low motion of the coronary veins during the cardiac cycle for planning MR coronary venograms. Patients scheduled for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) were studied. All CRT patients and 32% of CAD patients (all with EF<35%) had a longer systolic rest period. In 77% of patients, cross-sectional area was larger in systole than diastole. The combination of larger vessel areas during systole and the lengthened systolic rest period in CRT patients suggest that systolic imaging would be preferable for coronary vein imaging in CRT patients.