A preliminary study of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion MR for quantitative evaluation of myocardial perfusion in diabetes and/or hypertension
Anna Mou1, Zhiyong Li1, Mengying Li2, Qingwei Song2, Chen Zhang2, and Ailian Liu2

1Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China, People's Republic of, 2Dalian, China, People's Republic of

Synopsis

Myocardial microcirculation perfusion dysfunction plays an important role in assessment cardiac disease especially diabetes and hypertension because of their high incidence in the world. We preliminarily investigated the difference of myocardial micro-vascular perfusion between patients with diabetes/hypertension and normal volunteers with IVIM (0, 20, 50, 80, 120, 150, 200, 300, 500 s/mm2) diffusion weighted imaging. We found that Fast ADC values in patients were significant lower than in healthy volunteers. We concluded that IVIM CMR could quantitatively and noninvasively evaluate perfusion status in patients with diabetes and/or hypertension.

Introduction

Myocardial microcirculation perfusion dysfunction plays a significant role in assessing cardiac function, detecting heart failure and predicting prognosis. Diabetes often accompanies with hypertension, both are the majority of causes of myocardial microcirculation status dysfunction in the world [1]. There have many methods to assess myocardial microcirculation perfusion such as SPECT, PET, MR first-pass perfusion, etc, but they have some limitations and deficiencies [2, 3]. Intravoxel Incoherent Motion diffusion weighted magnetic resonance could be used to reflect water diffusion and blood perfusion noninvasively [4, 5]. Because of cardiac and respiratory motion, there are many limitations in cardiac imaging. The aim of this study is to assess myocardial microcirculation perfusion status in patients with diabetes and/or hypertension using IVIM.

Methods

8 patients with diabetes and/or hypertension (4 male, 46-68 years) and 20 health volunteers (9 man, 22-56 years) were registered in the study and were underwent Intravoxel Incoherent Motion diffusion weighted cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (b values=0, 20, 50, 80, 120, 150, 200, 300, 500 s/mm2) on a 3.0T MRI scanner (GE Signa HDxt) with 8 channel cardiac coli. The IVIM images were performed on apex, mid and basal slice short axis respectively with breath-hold. The scan time was about 20-24s every slice. We countered endocardium and epicardium avoiding blood pool and part volume effect to obtain main measurement parameters, including Standard ADC, Slow ADC, Fast ADC, fraction of Fast ADC values. Nonparametric test were performed to analyze differences of myocardial perfusion between healthy volunteers and patients. P>0.05 were defined as significance.

Result

The Fast ADC (10-3 mm2/s) of health volunteers was higher than patients with diabetes and hypertension (129.95±21.12 vs 99.18±18.17, P<0.01). The Standard ADC (10-3 mm2/s), Slow ADC (10-3 mm2/s), and fraction of Fast ADC (%) values had no significant differences between healthy and patients (1.95±0.63 vs 1.81±0.39, 3.35±3.24 vs 3.04±0.34, 0.329±0.078 vs 0.323±0.069, P=0.82, 0.60, 0.98).

Discussion

IVIM theory provides us a new method to quantitatively evaluate water molecular diffusion and blood perfusion, reflecting organization pathologic characteristic. Lower b values (b <200s/mm2) imaging could mainly monitor myocardial tissue microcirculation perfusion status without contrast agents[4]. Fast ADC value presents for microcirculation perfusion. We found that Fast ADC vales in patients were lower than in healthy volunteers, so it reflected microcirculation perfusion dysfunction in patients with ventricular remolding and heart failure. But the other IVIM parameters had no differences between patients and healthy volunteers in this study. Whether the other IVIM parameters could use to assess myocardial perfusion or not, it still needs further research, even though f values. IVIM CMR could avoid the risk of contrast medium allergy and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. It would also be advantageous to repeatedly follow-up.

Conclusion

Cardiac magnetic resonance IVIM diffusion weighted imaging could noninvasively be used to assess and monitor myocardial microcirculation perfusion dysfunction in patients with diabetes and/or hypertension without contrast agents.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to GE Healthcare for providing technique support, especial Dr.Ziheng Zhang and the CMR laboratories in the The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University.

References

[1] Hendel R C,et al. Circulation,2009,119(22):e561-87. [2]Cecchi F, et al. N Engl J Med.2003;349(11):1027-1035 [3] Bernhard L Gerber, et al. Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance 2008, 10:18. [4] Luciani A,et al. Radiology,2008,249(3):891-899. [5] Benedicte M.A, et al. Investigative Radiology , 2012;47:662-670

Figures

Fig 1 (a) F,26y. Different b value images of IVIM CMR in healthy volunteers. (b) M,50y. Different b value images of IVIM CMR in patients with a 10 history of hypertension and 4 history of diabetes.



Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 24 (2016)
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