18 channel cardiac coil

Subjects underwent adenosine-stress CMR imaging using a 3-Tesla scanner (Siemens Skyra, Erlangen, Germany) with an 18-channel cardiac coil. Detailed imaging acquisition protocols have been previously described [16 (link)]. Briefly, both long- and short-axis cine imaging were undertaken using balanced steady-state free precession technique with coverage of the whole heart. Retrospective ECG gating was used for those in SR and prospective gating for those with AF or frequent ectopics. At mid-LV level, T1 maps were acquired pre- and post-contrast using a modified inversion recovery Look-Locker technique [21 (link)]. Perfusion imaging was performed at rest and during pharmacological stress using 140–210 μg/kg/min of adenosine infused for 3–5 minutes. Stress and rest perfusion images were obtained at basal, mid-ventricular and apical levels following the administration of 0.04 mmol/kg of a gadolinium-based contrast agent (Gadovist, Bayer Healthcare) as previously reported [12 (link)]. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging at the same slice positions as cine imaging was performed using a T1-weighted segmented inversion-recovery gradient echo sequence 10–15 minutes following a top-up dose of 0.07 mmol/kg of contrast (total contrast dose of 0.15 mmol/kg).

All scans were performed on a 3-Tesla platform (Siemens Skyra, Erlangen, Germany) with an 18-channel cardiac coil, as reported previously[4 , 7 (link)]. This included standard long and short-axis cine imaging; basal, mid and apical short-axis pre- and post-contrast T1 mapping and LGE imaging. A total of 0.15mmol/kg of contrast (Gadovist, Bayer Healthcare, Berlin, Germany was administered.