CMR planimetry of the aortic valve

Adding one more indication to the growing list of CMR indications is an article by Kupfahl et al in the recent issue of Heart on the use of CMR in planimetry of the aortic valve area. This article is available as free full-text if accessed from India.

Their conclusion: "CMR planimetry is highly reliable and reproducible. Further, CMR planimetry had the best sensitivity and specificity of all non-invasive methods for detecting severe aortic stenosis in comparison with cardiac catheterisation. Therefore, CMR planimetry of AVA with steady state free precession is a new powerful diagnostic tool, particularly for patients with uncertain or discrepant findings by other modalities."

There was another similar article in the Journal of the Americal College of Cardiology in 2003 on the same subject, with almost similar results. This is not surprising. Using TrueFISP imaging, the resolution that can be obtained for assessing the anatomy of various structures in the heart is amazing. CMR easily allow visualization of the valve in various planes and direct measurement of the area. Though flow measurements through the valve may have artifacts and need a little more expertise and fine tuning of the machine, anatomic area measurements are pretty straightforward.