Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Clinicians who image the heart with CT or MRI have come to rely on electrocardiogram gating to determine the best time in the cardiac cycle to start image acquisition. Now a group of U.S. researchers has concluded that echocardiography could be a better method for conducting cardiac gating.
In their proof-of-concept study, the investigators compared echo with ECG for determining the phases of the cardiac cycle with the least heart motion, according to an article by staff writer Eric Barnes for our Cardiac Imaging Digital Community. The researchers found that the two techniques would have suggested slightly different time points at which to start the acquisition.
The higher spatial resolution available with echocardiography could give the modality an edge in cardiac gating. With refinement and further development, the technique could even eliminate the need for retrospective CT acquisitions for coronary artery evaluation -- thus cutting radiation dose to patients.
Echocardiography isn't without its drawbacks, however. Find out more by clicking here, or visit our Cardiac Imaging Digital Community at cardiac.auntminnie.com.
