Assessment of left and right ventricular volumes and function with treadmill exercise stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance

Methods Ten young adults (mean age 26.1 ± 8.4 years); seven men, were prospectively enrolled. All examinations were performed with a 1.5T scanner (Siemens Avanto) and 32-channel phased array coil (Rapid MRI, Columbus). Ventricular volumes were obtained at rest with gated (SSFP) and real-time imaging (TSENSE). Nine to 10 contiguous short axis and axial slices provided coverage of left and right ventricular volumes respectively. Endocardial borders were manually segmented and ejection fraction (EF) calculated as the difference between enddiastolic volume (EDV) and end-systolic volume (ESV) divided by EDV. Segmented breath-hold Cine SSFP imaging was performed at rest (TE 1.0ms; TR 3ms; temporal resolution 39ms; flip angle (FA) 69°, bandwith (BW) 930Hz/pixel and slice thickness 8mm). Non-triggered real-time TSENSE image acquisition was performed at rest and stress (TE 1.0msec; TR 2.3msec; temporal resolution 46ms, FA 62°, BW 1360Hz/pixel and slice thickness 8mm). Patients underwent treadmill exercise CMR with 12-lead ECG system (Cardiosoft, GE) to achieve a goal of > 85% age-predicted maximum heart rate (APMHR). Real-time imaging was performed immediately upon cessation of exercise.