Technologist Track Session 01: CMR Technical Methods (2018)-Cine and Flow

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker explains cardiac MRI cine and flow imaging, aiming for a technical but practical overview. Cine imaging is described as a major achievement, using SSFP sequences (FISP/FIESTA/BFFE) for high blood-myocardium contrast, though they can suffer from field inhomogeneity artifacts, especially at 3T or in patients with valves or devices. FLASH is sometimes preferred in these cases. The talk covers scanner parameters, ECG gating, prospective vs retrospective acquisition, temporal resolution, and parallel imaging, which speeds scans but lowers signal. Difficult cases like arrhythmia, poor breath-holding, and metal artifacts are addressed, including real-time and 3D cine options. The flow section explains phase-contrast MRI, velocity encoding (VENC), aliasing, and how to measure stenosis or shunts accurately. Key cautions include choosing the right VENC and aligning the imaging plane properly, since small errors can significantly affect results.

Keywords

cardiac MRI

cine imaging

phase-contrast MRI

velocity encoding

field inhomogeneity artifacts

flow quantification