Multiecho dixon fat and water separation method for detecting fibrofatty infiltration in the myocardium

Abstract

Conventional approaches for fat and water discrimination based on chemical-shift fat suppression have reduced ability to characterize fatty infiltration due to poor contrast of microscopic fat. The multiecho Dixon approach to water and fat separation has advantages over chemical-shift fat suppression: 1) water and fat images can be acquired in a single breathhold, avoiding misregistration; 2) fat has positive contrast; 3) the method is compatible with precontrast and late-enhancement imaging, 4) less susceptible to partial-volume effects, and 5) robust in the presence of background field variation; and 6) for the bandwidth implemented, chemical-shift artifact is decreased. The proposed technique was applied successfully in all 28 patients studied. This included 10 studies with indication of coronary artery disease (CAD), of which four cases with chronic myocardial infarction (MI) exhibited fatty infiltration; 13 studies to rule out arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), of which there were three cases with fibrofatty infiltration and two confirmed with ARVC; and five cases of cardiac masses (two lipomas). The precontrast contrast-tonoise ratio (CNR) of intramyocardial fat was greatly improved, by 240% relative to conventional fat suppression. For the parameters implemented, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was decreased by 30% relative to conventional late enhancement

Cardiac Involvement in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2 Patients With Preserved Ejection Fraction

“…15,16 CMR enables the differentiation of underlying myocardial injuries, including inflammation, 16 focal and diffuse fibrosis, 17 or fatty infiltration. 18,19 Similar morphological changes were described in DM2 in histological reports. 13 In this study, we aimed to use the CMR to investigate whether subclinical myocardial alterations in patients with DM2 were detectable in preserved LV function.…”

“…We acquired a multiecho sequence for fat/water separation to detect myocardial fat deposits 19,24 in a 4-chamber long-axis view and 3 short axes. Slice position was similar to the relaxometry acquisition.…”

Upper arm and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

“…Fat fraction was measured with cardiac optimized Dixon methods,15 the fat image and the water image were created from the same raw data and the same ROI was used to make both measurements simultaneously. Whereas these methods should minimize measurement variability, errors could still occur related to where the edges of the ROI are drawn, partial volume errors, and image artifacts.…”

“…Myocardial and upper arm T 1 and T 2 were acquired with an ECG‐gated‐modified Look‐Locker method13 and a T 2 ‐prepared, steady‐state‐free precession method (no fat suppression) 14. The fat and water fractions were acquired with a four‐point cardiac‐optimized Dixon method 15. Regions of interest (ROI) drawn for the biceps and triceps muscles in the six slices of the mid‐upper arm covering a distance of 36 mm.…”

The role of imaging and molecular imaging in the early detection of metabolic and cardiovascular dysfunctions

“…Since its first description in 1984, this way of imaging water and fat has been improved, and is still an important research area. 21,22 Fat imaging is also almost part of clinical practice. 23 Mediastinal lipomatosis.…”