Cine-MRI tagging for assessment of ventricular wall motion in patients under maintenance hemodialysis

We evaluated the ventricular wall shortening velocity of patients with volume overload using cine-MRI tagging. The subjects were 12 healthy volunteers and 10 patients under maintenance hemodialysis. Three linear tags (basal, mid-ventricular, and apical) were set up in the 4-chamber view and Δ distance/Ejection time (Δd/ET) was calculated before and after hemodialysis. Before hemodialysis, Δd/ET was significantly greater at the basal level than after hemodialysis (right ventricular wall : 64.7±14.3 vs 59.1±15.4 mm/s, P<0.05, interventricular septum : 36.3±6.9 vs 32.4±7.6 mm/s, P<0.05, left ventricular free wall : 40.5±6.8 vs 36.1±8.2 mm/s, P<0.05). Thus, volume overload increased Δd/ET of the normal heart. We concluded that cine-MRI tagging could quantitatively evaluate right and left ventricular wall motion. (author)