Myocardial perfusion study with the turbo-flash sequence and Gd-DTPA

This paper reports that since Turbo-fast low-angle shot (FLASH) imaging combines ultrafast acquisition time (320 msec) with high T1 contrast, the technique is well suited for dynamic Gd-DTPA myocardial perfusion studies. A clinical study was undertaken to assess the ability of ultrafast MR imaging and a curve-fitting procedure to detect infarcted myocardium. Fifteen selected patients with angiographically and scintigraphically (Tc-99m MIBI) proved ischemic heart disease as well as healthy persons have been examined with the ultrafast TURBO-FLASH sequence (TR = 4.9 msec; TE = 2 msec; TI = 400 msec). After administration of Gd-DTPA intensity-versus-time curves of the myocardial Gd-DTPA wash in were constructed by means of a model perfusion equation for infarcted and normal myocardium. These studies were combined with a stress test (dipyridamol) in order to determine the detection limit of this new method