Authors' Contributions 1.JF -Substantial contributions to acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the work, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 2.AO -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, analysis and interpretation of data, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 3.TP -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 4.SW -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, analysis and interpretation of data, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 5.AL -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 6.NL -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 7.AB -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 8.RP -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 9.LK -Substantial revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 10.SG -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 11.IP -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 12.IQ -Substantial contributions to revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. 13.RJ -Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable ...

IntroductionThis cross sectional study was conducted to test reproducibility of analysis of MRI parameters in carotids and thoracic descending aorta (TOA), evaluate the correlation of plaque burden and associations with subject age and gender.MethodsThree hundred subjects, with cardiovascular risk factors, underwent a black blood MRI of both carotids and TOA. Mean wall area, wall thickness, lumen area, total vessel area and wall area/total vessel area (WA/TVA) ratio were manually measured. Inter-reader and intra-reader-reproducibility was tested on 187 and 20 randomly chosen subjects respectively.ResultsThe intra-observer-reproducibility for the analysis was high (Intraclass-Correlation-Coefficients (ICC’s >0.8), except mean WA/TVA ratio of TOA. Similarly, the inter-observer reproducibility was acceptable (ICC’s >0.7 for mean wall area, lumen area and total vessel area). MRI parameters in aorta and carotids increased with age for both sexes (p<0.001). Except for mean wall thickness of TOA and WA/TVA ratio, MRI parameters were significantly higher in males than in females. All MRI measurements except the mean wall thickness and WA/TVA ratio were highly reproducible. There was good correlation for mean wall area between carotids and aorta compatible with the systemic nature of atherosclerosis. Similar to clinical presentation of cardiovascular diseases we found greater values in most MRI parameters (except for WA/TVA ratio) in males than in females and with increasing age.ConclusionsThese data suggest that analysis of most MRI measurements of plaque burden is reproducible and that there is correlation between plaque burden between carotids and aorta validating the systemic distribution of the disease.

Purpose:To evaluate the agreement of fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) cine technique with segmented k-space fast gradient echo (GRE) cine technique when using them for assessment of cardiac function. Materials and Methods:Eleven MR cine studies were performed on six healthy volunteers and five patients, using FIESTA and fast GRE techniques. The quantitative measurements of ventricular function obtained from the two techniques were compared. The data analysis was performed by two observers independently.Results: Compared to fast GRE cine technique, FIESTA cine technique consistently resulted in higher end-diastolic volume (10.2%) and end-systolic volume (21.6%), but lower myocardial mass of left ventricle (19.2%) and ejection fraction (9.9%). The stroke volume obtained from the two techniques was very close. The primary explanation for this variability is that the two techniques have different mechanisms on establishing signal contrast. Conclusion:Compared to fast GRE technique, FIESTA provides significantly different results when using it for assessment of left ventricular function. It is important to consider this difference in the assessment of cardiac function. CARDIAC MR IMAGING has been used as a non-invasive method for the assessment of ventricular function for over a decade (1-5). The segmented k-space fast gradient echo (GRE) sequence is commonly accepted as an accurate and reproducible technique for measuring ventricular volumes and masses (6 -10). With recent advances in MRI hardware and software, fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) cine technique, also known as balanced fast field echo (FFE), true fast imaging with steady-state precession (True-FISP), or steady-state free precession (SSFP) cine technique by different manufacturers, has been increasingly applied for the assessment of ventricular function, because FIESTA techniques provide better blood-myocardial contrast, higher image quality, and shorter acquisition time (11-16). However, in selecting a new technique for measurement of LV volume and mass, it is crucial to compare the new technique with an established one to determine whether they agree sufficiently. If they do not agree, we need to assess how much the two methods differ. In this study, we compared the quantitative measurements of ventricular function obtained using FIESTA and fast GRE cine techniques to evaluate the agreement of the two. Five parameters, including end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), myocardial mass of left ventricle at enddiastole, stroke volume (SV), and ejection fraction (EF) were analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODSEleven MR studies were performed on six healthy volunteers (three men, three women, average age 29.3, ranging from 20 to 42 years of age) and five patients (two men, three women, average age 59.2, ranging from 30 to 81 years of age). In the five patients, one with known atrial septal defect was imaged prior to surgical operation, two had known coronary artery disease, one had a suspected cardiac ...

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