Right ventricular volumes and ejection fraction with fast cine MR imaging in breath-hold technique: Applicability, normal values from 52 volunteers, and evaluation of 325 adult cardiac patients

Our goal was to establish right ventricular (RV) volume and ejection fracti on (EF) values in normal volunteers with fast magnetic resonance (MR) imagi ng using a breath-hold technique, to assess the frequency and severity of R VEF abnormality in cardiac patients and to compare RV with left ventricular (LV) data. We performed simultaneously derived RV and LV fast cine measure ments in 52 normals and 325 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), ac quired valvular disease (VD), cardiomyopathy (CM), or congenital heart dise ase (CHD). RVEF was reduced in 31% (102) of all patients, in 50% dilated CM , 39% CHD, 34% CAD, and 22% acquired VD patients. Solitary abnormally low R VEF was found in only 15/325 (5%) of all patients, whereas com- bined with LVEF deterioration in 87/172 (51%) patients. RVEF reduction was mild in 64% , moderate in 25%, and severe in 11%, Although RVEF correlated significantl y (r = 0.55, P < 0.001) with LVEF, the predictive value of LVEF for RVEF wa s low. We conclude that RV volumes can be routinely assessed with fast MRI and should be performed in addition to LV evaluation in CHD, in right-sided VD, and in all patients with an abnormal LVEF. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.