Real-time phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging for assessment of haemodynamics: from phantom to patients

Assessment of haemodynamics is crucial in many cardiac diseases. Phase contrast MRI (PC-MRI) can accurately access it. Arrhythmia is a major limitation in conventional segmented PC-MRI (SEG). A real-time PC-MRI sequence (RT) could overcome this. We validated RT by comparing to SEG. A prototype RT using shared velocity encoding was tested against SEG at 1.5 T in a flow phantom and consecutively included patients with (n = 55) or without (n = 59) aortic valve disease. In patients with atrial fibrillation (Afib, n = 15), only RT was applied. Phantom: PC images were acquired in front of and behind an interchangeable aortic-stenosis-like inlay. Mean velocity and flow were quantified. Patients: PC images were acquired in the ascending aorta, pulmonary trunk and superior caval vein. Peak velocity, stroke volume and regurgitant fraction were quantified. Phantom: Mean velocities (11 ± 1 to 207 ± 10 cm/s) and flow correlated closely between SEG and RT (r ≥ 0.99, ICC ≥ 0.98, p < 0.0005). Patients without AVD or with aortic regurgitation: Concordance of SEG and RT was excellent regarding peak velocities, stroke volumes (r ≥ 0.91, ICC ≥ 0.94, p < 0.0005) and regurgitant fractions (r = 0.95, ICC = 0.95, p < 0.0005). RT was feasible in all patients with Afib. The real-time sequence is accurate compared to conventional segmented PC-MRI. Its applicability in Afib was shown. Real-time PC-MRI might become a valuable tool in arrhythmia. • Assessment of haemodynamics is crucial in many cardiac diseases. • Arrhythmias are a major limitation of conventional techniques in cardiac magnetic resonance. • A real-time technique, which allows application in arrhythmia, was validated. • This real-time technique might become a valuable tool in arrhythmic patients.