Characterization of coronary vein motion in patients with low and moderate ejection fractions

Objective To quantify periods of low motion of the coronary veins in patients with low and moderate EF in order to optimize acquisition of whole-heart coronary magnetic resonance venograms (cMRV). Background Three-dimensional, whole-heart, navigator-gated, contrast-enhanced MRI techniques are used to acquire cMRVs which can be used for planning lead placement in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). In order to reduce cardiac motion artifacts, it is desirable to set the trigger delay time to acquire image data only during periods of low vessel motion, typically assumed to be during diastole. By knowing the temporal length and location of the low motion period, the acquisition window can be optimized for coronary vein imaging. Previous studies have examined coronary artery motion, but an analysis of the coronary veins has not been performed. Methods 32 total patients were analyzed. These patients were considered in 3 groups: 13 patients scheduled for CRT (LVEF 120ms), 6 patients with low LVEF but normal ECG (LVEF 35%, QRS 35%) had a longer diastolic rest period, 3) 4 patients with a longer systolic rest period had no diastolic rest period.