Magnetic resonance imaging of the great arteries in infants

Abstract

Sixty infants, aged 1–48 (median 8) weeks, with suspected congenital heart disease underwent a morphological evaluation of the great arteries using magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 Tesla. Cross-sectional echocardiography was performed in all infants, angiography in 33 and surgery in 44. Multiple sections, 5 mm thick and gated to the patients' electrocardiogram were acquired in standard and oblique imaging planes. Ventriculo-arterial connexions were correctly identified in 54 infants (6 did not have intracardiac imaging performed) and an accurate description of the relationships of the great arteries was made in all. Magnetic resonance imaging clearly demonstrated normal and hypoplastic pulmonary arteries to the level of the first hilar branches and was better than echocardiography at confirming the presence or absence of central intrapericardial pulmonary arteries in 4 infants with pulmonary atresia. All parts of the thoracic aorta were accurately demonstrated and, in 23 infants with clinical suspicion of aortic coarctation, magnetic resonance images provided more information than echocardiography. Magnetic resonance imaging accurately demonstrates great arteries non-invasively supplementing echocardiographic and angiographic findings. In many cases, it replaces the need for invasive investigations.