Patient and device related factors affecting artifact size and cardiac visualization when performing cardiac MRI in patients with implanted defibrillators

Methods Imaging studies and device records for 45 consecutive patients with an ICD undergoing cardiac MRI were reviewed. Generator artifact diameter was measured on axial dark-blood sequences when available and compared among device manufacturers. In 28 of these patients who had available chest x-rays, minimum distance of the generator from the heart border was measured and compared to the distance from the aortomitral continuity to the border of the artifact on short axis TurboFLASH cine images at the level of the mitral valve plane. One patient whose generator had been moved from the left to right side between CXR and MRI was excluded.