Navigator-echo-based real-time respiratory gating and triggering for reduction of respiration effects in three-dimensional coronary MR angiography

PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that respiration effects in three- dimensional (3D) coronary magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can be reduced with navigator-echo-based gating or triggering according to the superior-inferior position of the diaphragm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real-time respiratory gating and respiratory triggering (breath hold with feedback) were implemented with navigator echoes in a magnetization-prepared, segmented, 3D coronary imaging sequence. The two techniques were first tested with a motion phantom. An imaging protocol that compared real-time respiratory-gated acquisition, real-time respiratory-triggered acquisition, and continuous acquisition was then evaluated in six healthy subjects. RESULTS: Real-time respiratory-gated and respiratory-triggered acquisition were superior to continuous acquisition with two signals averaged (P = .025). The performance of the gated acquisition was about the same as that of the triggered acquisition (P = .05). CONCLUSION: Navigator-echo-based, real-time respiratory-gating and respiratory-triggering techniques are practical methods for effective reduction of respiration effects in coronary MR imaging.