Comprehensive Assessment of Valvular Function with MRI

Stanford University, Stanford CA

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Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): [unreadable] The goal of this proposal is to develop and validate a comprehensive examination of valvular heart diseases. Valvular heart disease affects approximately 10% of the general population in the United States. Over the past 20 years, valvular diagnosis has undergone a revolution due to advances in cardiac ultrasound. However, ultrasound has inherent limitations with respect to tissue characterization, spatial resolution, and the need for acoustic windows. Particularly difficult are the evaluation of valvular morphology, quantitation of valvular stenosis and identification and quantitation of valvular regurgitation. The examination of valvular heart disease includes the assessment of valvular morphology, cardiac output, intracardiac pressures, ventricular volume and volume regurgitations. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is potentially the most appropriate technique for addressing all of these areas in a single examination. Current MR techniques for valvular imaging suffer from poor temporal and spatial resolutions, require prolonged acquisitions, and frequently require laborious post processing. As a result, there is a gap between what is scientifically feasible and what is currently applied clinically. Our goal in this proposal is to eliminate this gap between the potential of MRI and current clinical practice. Our group has pioneered many of the components that will be useful for the diagnosis of valvular heart disease, including real-time imaging, real-time color flow, and MR Doppler. In this proposal we will integrate and extend these components along with new developments to provide an integrated and comprehensive assessment of valvular function. [unreadable] [unreadable]