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/mm
2) 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 mm
2/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 mm
2/s),
Slow
ADC (10
-3 mm
2/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