Abstract
BackgroundThe mechanics of the right ventricle (RV) are not well understood as studies of the RV have been limited. This is, in part, due to the RV's thin wall, asymmetric geometry and irregular motion. However, the RV plays an important role in cardiovascular function. This study aims to describe the complex mechanics of the healthy RV using three dimensional (3D) cine displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).MethodsWhole heart 3D cine DENSE data were acquired from five healthy volunteers. Tailored post-processing algorithms for RV mid-wall tissue tracking and strain estimation are presented. A method for sub-dividing the RV into four regions according to anatomical land marks is proposed, and the temporal evolution of strain was assessed in these regions.ResultsThe 3D cine DENSE tissue tracking methods successfully capture the motion and deformation of the RV at a high spatial resolution in all volunteers. The regional Lagrangian peak surface strain and time to peak values correspond with previous studies using myocardial tagging, DENSE and strain encoded CMR. The inflow region consistently displays lower peak strains than the apical and outflow regions, and the time to peak strains suggest RV mechanical activation in the following order: inflow, outflow, mid, then apex.ConclusionsModel-free techniques have been developed to study the myocardial mechanics of the RV at a high spatial resolution using 3D cine DENSE CMR. The consistency of the regional RV strain patterns across healthy subjects is encouraging and the techniques may have clinical utility in assessing disrupted RV mechanics in the diseased heart.
Highlights
The mechanics of the right ventricle (RV) are not well understood as studies of the RV have been limited
The evolution of displacement during the cardiac cycle can be appreciated in detail, and the large range of motion of the RV compared to the left ventricle (LV) is evident
This paper introduces post processing algorithms developed for 3D tissue tracking and strain analysis of the RV from 3D cine displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) data
Summary
The mechanics of the right ventricle (RV) are not well understood as studies of the RV have been limited. This study aims to describe the complex mechanics of the healthy RV using three dimensional (3D) cine displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). The importance of the LV in cardiac research has overshadowed the study of the RV This neglect is, Various cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) studies have assessed properties such as strain, motion and volumes of the RV. Two dimensional strain estimates of the LV are reliable in short axis views because the through plane motion is relatively uniform [11] This does not apply to the RV because of its complex shape and motion, so 2D imaging may be insufficient to accurately assess strain in the RV [4]. No detailed studies of the RV have been presented using DENSE CMR
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