A clinical strategy of 3.0-T non-contrast coronary MRA: a combination of diastole and systole imaging

Motivation: Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has not been widely used due to lower diagnostic accuracy. The combination of diastole and systole imaging may enhance its clinical applications. Goal(s): Designing a coronary MRA protocol combining diastole and systole imaging and evaluating its diagnostic performance for detecting significant coronary artery disease (CAD). Approach: 3.0-T non-contrast coronary MRA was carried out twice at diastole and systole. Significant CAD was evaluated by coronary MRA as follows:1) by diastole mode, 2) by systole mode, and 3) by combined mode. Results: Combined coronary MRA showed equally high sensitivity but improved specificity than single diastolic mode. Impact: This study demonstrated that 1) 3.0-T non-contrast coronary MRA using combinational diastole and systole imaging can noninvasively detect CAD with high sensitivity and moderate specificity; 2) Combining diastole and systole imaging improved the diagnostic accuracy of coronary MRA, especially specificity.