Automatic multi-cycle analysis of cardiac function from real-time MRI

Background MR imaging plays a crucial role in the early detection, monitoring and treatment planning of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the Western countries. A recently developed real-time MRI technique allows for the inspection and visualization the heart muscle (myocardium) dynamics with high temporal resolution (up to 20ms) under free breathing and without the need for ECG synchronization. However, the quantification of cardiac function becomes more challenging than for conventional cardiac imaging methods because of the extremely large amount of data (several hundred time frames per image slice, spanning over 10-20 or more consecutive cardiac cycles), as well as potential changes in contrast properties and respiratory displacements. In order to overcome such problems, we developed a new method for automatic analysis of cardiac function from real-time MRI.