P. Ambrosi et al., ASSESSMENT OF AORTIC REGURGITATION SEVERITY BY MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING OF THE THORACIC AORTA, European heart journal, 16(3), 1995, pp. 406-409
A new method of assessing the severity of aortic regurgitation severit
y by magnetic resonance imaging has been developed. live groups were s
tudied: 20 controls (age=58 +/- 19 years), without valvular aortic dis
ease, and 24 patients (age=62+/-13 years) with chronic aortic insuffic
iency evaluated by magnetic resonance and nor tic root cineangiography
within 1 week of each other. A magnetic resonance sequence (TR=35 ms/
TE=12 ms/flip angle=20 degrees/magnet=1.5 T) was acquired in a plane c
ontaining the thoracic aorta. A transverse saturation band 30 mm wide
was positioned 30-40 mm above the aortic valve. Aortic insufficiency w
as graded the importance of end-diastolic retrograde movement in the s
aturation band in the descending aorta was noted. Magnetic resonance w
as also compared to Doppler echocardiography in 20 patients. In the co
ntrols, we found that retrograde blood flow was absent (18/20) or mild
(2/20). In contrast, the presence of marked retrograde movement in a
saturation band across the thoracic aorta was always associated with s
evere aortic regurgitation (angiographic grade III or IV). This rapid
method (imaging time less than 20 min) can be applied in most patients
with aortic regurgitation and is likely to be helpful when echocardio
graphy is not possible or gives inconclusive results.