Real Time Single Heart Beat Fast Strain-Encoded Imaging of Right Ventricular Regional Function: Normal versus Chronic Pulmonary Hypertension

摘要

Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and suspected right ventricular (RV) dysfunction often have dyspnea at rest, making reliable assessment of RV function using traditional breath-holding methods difficult to perform. Using single heart beat Fast-strain encoding (Fast-SENC) imaging, peak systolic RV circumferential (ECC) and longitudinal (ELL) strain were measured in 11 healthy volunteers and 11 PH patients. Fast-SENC RV ELL and ECC strain measurements were compared to conventional SENC and MR tagging respectively. Fast-SENC circumferential and longitudinal RV shortening correlated closely with SENC measurements (r= 0.86, r = 0.90, p < 0.001 for all). ECC, by conventional tagging, showed moderate correlation with Fast-SENC in PH patients only (r=0.5, p= 0.003). A non uniform pattern of RV circumferential shortening was depicted in both groups. Peak systolic ECC was significantly reduced at the basal RV in PH patients (−18.06 ± 3.3 vs. − 21.9 ± 1.9, p<0.01) compared to normal individuals, while peak systolic ELL was significantly reduced at all levels (p < 0.01 for all). Fast-SENC is a feasible and reliable technique for rapid quantification of RV regional function in a single heart beat acquisition. Information derived from Fast-SENC allows characterization of RV regional function in normal individuals and in PH patients.