Will MRI of gastrointestinal function parallel the clinical success of cine cardiac MRI?

Abstract

How cine MRI entered clinical practice in the cardiac field MRI has always been an attractive imaging modality for the evaluation of cardiac morphology and function. 1 Cardiac MRI has the advantage that both cardiac and respiratory motion are generally periodic and relatively easily monitored, albeit indirectly, through synchronisation to the subjects' electrocardiogram (ECG) and the use of respiratory bellows. However, it only took a few years after the development of commercial MRI systems for functional cardiac imaging to be developed, with ECG-gated cine imaging first reported in 1988. 2

MRI of the Colon in the Pharmaceutical Field: The Future before us

“…It naturally hosts the biggest part of human microbiota and therefore has a huge role in the immune system and pathophysiology mostly by balancing host and microbiota interaction with the mucosal barrier [8]. The GI tract, colon included, is a rather complex area to study because of its multiple role (irregular motility, movement of the contents, and secretion) that interplay with each other [9]. Understanding colonic physiology is pivotal for drug development because of its role in both functional and non-functional diseases [8,9].…”

“…The GI tract, colon included, is a rather complex area to study because of its multiple role (irregular motility, movement of the contents, and secretion) that interplay with each other [9]. Understanding colonic physiology is pivotal for drug development because of its role in both functional and non-functional diseases [8,9]. MRI is an attractive tool to explore the colonic environment because of the absence of invasiveness and therefore the more biorelevant insights that it can provide on undisturbed colonic physiology and pathology.…”

Assessment of fasted and fed gastrointestinal contraction frequencies in healthy subjects using continuously tagged MRI

“…This is an invasive technique, and it is only available in specialized centers. [4][5][6] Recently, a tagged MRI sequence was presented for motility assessment during free breathing. 2,3 Since detection and quantification of motility can aid in diagnosis and patient management, the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly explored for this purpose as developments in MRI techniques have made the technology more powerful whilst retaining its noninvasive and patient-friendly character.…”

“…2,3 Since detection and quantification of motility can aid in diagnosis and patient management, the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly explored for this purpose as developments in MRI techniques have made the technology more powerful whilst retaining its noninvasive and patient-friendly character. [4][5][6] Recently, a tagged MRI sequence was presented for motility assessment during free breathing. 7,8 This motion encoding technique, also referred to as SPAMM (spatial modulation of magnetization), 9 can be used to quantify bowel motion patterns in the frequency domain.…”

Rectal area as surrogate measure of rectal emptying during MR defecography

“…In conclusion, the study by Puthanmadhom Narayanan et al should be greatly appreciated as it expands our understanding on rectal physiology, it provides some interesting clues on the interpretation of physiological tests performed in patients with functional bowel disorders, and it finally prompts both radiologist and gastroenterologist to adopt software‐based systems of quantitative analysis of rectal volumes in order to explore with more robust data this complicated area of gastrointestinal function. In this prospective, it is highly advocated that radiologists, gastroenterologists, and MRI experts parallel the clinical success of cine cardiac MRI and work together to improve and standardize MR defecography. This will allow multicenter high‐quality studies to evaluate the role of anatomical and functional rectal alterations in constipated patients with difficult defecation.…”