MR assessment of left ventricular function: quantitative comparison of fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) with fast gradient echo cine technique

Purpose: To evaluate the agreement of fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) cine technique with segmented k-space fast gradient echo (GRE) cine technique when using them for assessment of cardiac function.

Materials and methods: Eleven MR cine studies were performed on six healthy volunteers and five patients, using FIESTA and fast GRE techniques. The quantitative measurements of ventricular function obtained from the two techniques were compared. The data analysis was performed by two observers independently.

Results: Compared to fast GRE cine technique, FIESTA cine technique consistently resulted in higher end-diastolic volume (10.2%) and end-systolic volume (21.6%), but lower myocardial mass of left ventricle (19.2%) and ejection fraction (9.9%). The stroke volume obtained from the two techniques was very close. The primary explanation for this variability is that the two techniques have different mechanisms on establishing signal contrast.

Conclusion: Compared to fast GRE technique, FIESTA provides significantly different results when using it for assessment of left ventricular function. It is important to consider this difference in the assessment of cardiac function.