Free-Breathing 3D Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Elastography Using TURBINE-MRE

Motivation: Cardiac magnetic resonance elastography (cMRE) has potential for clinically vital quantitative imaging of myocardial stiffness, but for it to become clinically viable in patients with heart failure or shortness of breath, free-breathing techniques need to be developed. Goal(s): To demonstrate the feasibility of 3D free-breathing cMRE. Approach: A 3D MRE sequence (TURBINE-MRE) was utilized for data acquisition. Physiologic signals were recorded and used to partition data into distinct cardiac and respiratory states. With a specified signal model, we iteratively reconstructed image volumes for all states. Results: Stiffness estimates throughout the cardiac cycle were successfully obtained in two volunteers, demonstrating successful free-breathing 3D cMRE. Impact: Free-breathing cMRE will enable quantitative imaging of myocardial stiffness in a significant number of patients who are not able to perform long breath-holds. A 3D TURBINE-MRE acquisition enables temporal resolution of the heart's elastic properties throughout the cardiac cycle.