MRI of cardiac function and myocardial tissue properties

Wen, Han

Abstract

The compliance of the cardiac muscle in diastole is important to normal filling of the heart prior to ejection. In many heart failure patients with normal systolic function, the """"""""stiff heart syndrome"""""""" is likely caused by stiffened heart muscle. In the last year we have confirmed the accuracy of a non-invasive, MRI based measurement of heart muscle compliance, demonstrated its feasibility in humans, and showed the stiffening of the muscle following ischemic injury. We now have a protocol to look at patients with hypertension to see if muscle complaince is specifically responsible for their conditions. We also observed a unique feature of blood flow in the heart, the out-of-phase arterial and venous flow in small branches of the coronary tree due to of the squeezing effect of heart contraction. We measuremented tissue volume changes due to this effect, which give an independent estimate of perfusion of the heart wall, and points to a mechanism of very timely coupling of mechanical work and oxygen delivery in the heart.

Funding Agency

• Agency: National Institute of Health (NIH)
• Institute: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Type: Intramural Research (Z01)
• Project #: 1Z01HL004606-08
• Application #: 6967052
• Study Section: (LCE)
• Support Year: 8
• Fiscal Year: 2004

Institution

• Name: U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Inst
• Country: United States

Publications

Stein, Ashley F; Ilavsky, Jan; Kopace, Rael et al. (2010) Selective imaging of nano-particle contrast agents by a single-shot x-ray diffraction technique. Opt Express 18:13271-8

Wen, Han; Bennett, Eric E; Hegedus, Monica M et al. (2009) Fourier X-ray scattering radiography yields bone structural information. Radiology 251:910-8

Wen, Han; Marsolo, Keith A; Bennett, Eric E et al. (2008) Adaptive postprocessing techniques for myocardial tissue tracking with displacement-encoded MR imaging. Radiology 246:229-40

Lin, Alexander P; Bennett, Eric; Wisk, Lauren E et al. (2008) Circumferential strain in the wall of the common carotid artery: comparing displacement-encoded and cine MRI in volunteers. Magn Reson Med 60:8-13

Wen, Han; Bennett, Eric E; Hegedus, Monica M et al. (2008) Spatial harmonic imaging of X-ray scattering--initial results. IEEE Trans Med Imaging 27:997-1002

Jobsis, Paul D; Ashikaga, Hiroshi; Wen, Han et al. (2007) The visceral pericardium: macromolecular structure and contribution to passive mechanical properties of the left ventricle. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 293:H3379-87

Rodriguez, Ignacio; Ennis, Daniel B; Wen, Han (2006) Noninvasive measurement of myocardial tissue volume change during systolic contraction and diastolic relaxation in the canine left ventricle. Magn Reson Med 55:484-90

Vignaud, Alexandre; Rodriguez, Ignacio; Ennis, Daniel B et al. (2006) Detection of myocardial capillary orientation with intravascular iron-oxide nanoparticles in spin-echo MRI. Magn Reson Med 55:725-30

Derbyshire, J A; Herzka, D A; McVeigh, E R (2005) S5FP: spectrally selective suppression with steady state free precession. Magn Reson Med 54:918-28

Wen, Han; Bennett, Eric; Epstein, Neal et al. (2005) Magnetic resonance imaging assessment of myocardial elastic modulus and viscosity using displacement imaging and phase-contrast velocity mapping. Magn Reson Med 54:538-48