Evaluation of myocardial ischemia in coronary artery disease with cardiac MR perfusion method: comparison with the results of catheter or CT angiography.

AIM To evaluate the efficacy of the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Perfusion (CMRP) method in detection of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) by comparing CMRP findings with the results of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) or Catheter Coronary Angiography (CCA). METHODS Thirty one patients in whom CMRP was performed along with CCTA or CCA within a month after CMRP between December 2009 and November 2010 were selected for the study. In CMRP, after adenosine administration as a stress agent Balanced TFE sequences were used to gather dynamic images that include the myocardial first pass of contrast media. Image analysis was performed visually. CMRP findings were compared to CCTA or CCA results for each coronary artery territories and for all territories. RESULTS Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of CMRP test in the identification of patients with significant (≥70%) coronary artery stenosis were 94.7%, 83%, 90.3%, 90%, and 90.9% for all coronary arteries, respectively; 94.4%, 84.6%, 90.3%, 89.4%, and 91.6% for left anterior descending artery, respectively; and 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, and 100% for circumflex and right coronary artery, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between angiography methods (CCTA/CCA) and CMRP (p>0.05). Methods had good to perfect consistency (ĸ = 0.79-1.00). CONCLUSION CMRP test seems to be a reasonable alternative for catheter angiography, which is considered the gold standard for evaluation of CAD and exclusion of significant coronary artery obstruction.