Three-dimensional cine MRI in free-breathing infants and children with congenital heart disease

Background: Patients with congenital heart disease frequently have complex cardiac and vascular malformations requiring detailed non-invasive diagnostic evaluation including functional parameters. Objective: To evaluate the morphological and functional information provided by a novel 3-D cine steady-state free-precession (SSFP) sequence. Materials and methods: Twenty consecutive children (mean age 2.2 years, nine boys) were examined using a 1.5-T MR system including 2-D cine gradient-recalled-echo sequences, static 3-D SSFP and 3-D cine SSFP sequences. Results: Measurement of ventricular structures and volumes showed close agreement between the 3-D cine SSFP sequence and the 2-D cine gradient-recalled-echo and static 3-D SSFP sequences (left ventricular volumes mean difference 1.0-1.9 ml and 8.8-11.4%, respectively; right ventricular volumes 1.7-2.1 ml and 9.9-16.9%, respectively). No systematic bias was observed. Conclusion: 3-D cine MRI provides anatomic as well as functional information with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution in free-breathing infants with congenital heart disease.