Cardiosynchronous MRI intensity changes of the great vessels and pulmonary circulation. A preliminary report

We used ECG-gated MR imaging to obtain time-intensity curves through the cardiac cycle of the mediastinal and pulmonary vessels in normal volunteers. This technique has promise for the qualitative assessment of flow in peripheral pulmonary vessels, for which no other clinically feasible non-invasive methods exist. Our results reveal time-intensity curves of mediastinal and pulmonary vessels that are qualitatively similar to Doppler flow velocity waveforms. Results of this preliminary report indicate that this should be a promising field for further investigation on normal volunteers as well as with a variety of pathological conditions