%0 Journal Article
%T Cardiac MRI: Standardized Right and Left Ventricular Quantification by Briefly Coaching Inexperienced Personnel
%A Niek H. Prakken
%A Birgitta K. Velthuis
%A Evert-Jan J. Vonken
%A Willem P. Mali and Maarten-Jan J. Cramer
%J The Open Magnetic Resonance Journal
%D 2008
%I 
%R 10.2174/1874769800801010104]
%X MRI quantification of the cardiac ventricles is time-consuming, especially for the right ventricle due to its complex geometry. Using a short axis MRI protocol, we tested if briefly coaching persons inexperienced in cardiac MRI provides reliable right and left ventricular quantification. 22 healthy subjects (mean age 26 ¡À 4.2 years) underwent short-axis breath-hold SSFP sequence cardiac MRI. Two persons inexperienced in cardiac MRI independently traced endocardial and epicardial contours of both ventricles with a predefined contour tracing protocol. Measurements were repeated after visual correction of each two most basal slices of the endocardial contours and epicardial contours in the learning curve. Five random short-axis cines were retraced for intraobserver variability. Measurements were performed blinded within 4 months. Agreement was assessed with the Bland- Altman method. No systematic bias was observed and measurements were within acceptable limits of agreement after brief coaching. Repeat measurements following visual correction significantly improved inter-observer differences, especially for mass calculations. Maximum interobserver and intraobserver disagreement of the final protocol were respectively ¡Ý 8% and ¡Ý 5%. Brief coaching of persons inexperienced in cardiac MRI, using the short axis MRI protocol, provides reliable volume, function and mass quantification of both ventricles.
%U http://www.benthamscience.com/open/tomrj/articles/V001/104TOMRJ.htm