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Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and its electrocardiographs (ECG): tips and tricks

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Abstract

All cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) techniques aim to create still depictions of a dynamic and ever-adapting organ. Most CMR methods rely on cardiac gating to capture information during fleeting periods of relative cardiac quiescence, at end diastole or end systole, or to acquire partial images throughout the cardiac cycle and average these signals over several heart beats. Since the inception of clinical CMR in the early 1980s, priority has been given to improving methods for image gating. The aim of this work is to provide a basic understanding of the ECG acquisition, demonstrate common ECG-related artifacts and to provide practical methods for overcoming these issues. Meticulous ECG preparation is essential for optimal CMR acquisition and these techniques must be adaptable to the individual patient.

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Acknowledgments

Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural program.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiology and Imaging Sciences, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 10 Center Drive, Building 10, Rm 1C355, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1182, USA

    Marcelo Souto Nacif, Anna Zavodni, Nadine Kawel & David A. Bluemke

  2. Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Marcelo Souto Nacif, Eui-Young Choi & João A. C. Lima

  3. Radiology Department, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brazil

    Marcelo Souto Nacif

  4. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Bethesda, MD, USA

    David A. Bluemke

Authors
  1. Marcelo Souto Nacif
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  2. Anna Zavodni
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  3. Nadine Kawel
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  4. Eui-Young Choi
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  5. João A. C. Lima
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  6. David A. Bluemke
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David A. Bluemke.

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Nacif, M.S., Zavodni, A., Kawel, N. et al. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and its electrocardiographs (ECG): tips and tricks. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 28, 1465–1475 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-011-9957-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-011-9957-4

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