Inter-study reproducibility of left ventricular torsion and torsion rate quantification using MR myocardial feature tracking

Johannes T. Kowallick, Geraint Morton, Pablo Lamata, Roy Jogiya, Shelby Kutty, Joachim Lotz, Gerd Hasenfuß, Eike Nagel, Amedeo Chiribiri, Andreas Schuster

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background To determine the inter-study reproducibility of MR feature tracking (MR-FT) derived left ventricular (LV) torsion and torsion rates for a combined assessment of systolic and diastolic myocardial function. Methods Steady-state free precession (SSFP) cine LV short-axis stacks were acquired at 9:00 (Exam A), 9:30 (Exam B), and 14:00 (Exam C) in 16 healthy volunteers at 3 Tesla. SSFP images were analyzed offline using MR-FT to assess rotational displacement in apical and basal slices. Global peak torsion, peak systolic and peak diastolic torsion rates were calculated using different definitions ("twist", "normalized twist" and "circumferential-longitudinal (CL) shear angle"). Exam A and B were compared to assess the inter-study reproducibility. Morning and afternoon scans were compared to address possible diurnal variation. Results The different methods showed good inter-study reproducibility for global peak torsion (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: 0.90-0.92; coefficient of variation [CoV]: 19.0-20.3%) and global peak systolic torsion rate (ICC: 0.82-0.84; CoV: 25.9-29.0%). Conversely, global peak diastolic torsion rate showed little inter-study reproducibility (ICC: 0.34-0.47; CoV: 40.8-45.5%). Global peak torsion as determined by the CL shear angle showed the best inter-study reproducibility (ICC: 0.90;CoV: 19.0%). MR-FT results were not measurably affected by diurnal variation between morning and afternoon scans (CL shear angle: 4.8 ± 1.4°, 4.8 ± 1.5°, and 4.1 ± 1.6° for Exam A, B, and C, respectively; P = 0.21). Conclusion MR-FT based derivation of myocardial peak torsion and peak systolic torsion rate has high inter-study reproducibility as opposed to peak diastolic torsion rate. The CL shear angle was the most reproducible parameter independently of cardiac anatomy and may develop into a robust tool to quantify cardiac rotational mechanics in longitudinal MR-FT patient studies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)128-137
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Volume43
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • cardiovascular magnetic resonance
  • circumferential longitudinal shear angle
  • feature tracking
  • inter-study reproducibility
  • torsion
  • twist

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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