Imaging Sequence Type:
- 2D Gradient echo with IR prep pulse
- Acquisition typically occurs over several heartbeats and within a breathhold
- Alternative 2D sequences are available that use SSFP with IR prep pulse: acquisition can occur over a single heart beat
- 3D sequences are also available: acquisition occurs over several heartbeats, usually within a breathhold
Acquisition Modes:
- 2D: Single slice, single phase
- 3D: Multislice, single phase
Image Contrast:
- Bright Blood
- T1 weighting
Imaging Options:
- 2D vs. 3D
- Segmented acquisition over several heart vs. single shot with one image per heart beat
- Phase-sensitive reconstruction vs. magnitude reconstruction
- Inversion time (TI) must be set by the technologist. The goal is to null the normal myocardium
- Images are usually acquired at mid diastole.
Clinical Utility: The sequence is designed to detect late gadolinium enhancement which serves as a marker for a variety of abnormalities such as:
- myocardial infarction
- myocarditis
- amyloid
This sequence is also useful for visualizing cardiac thrombus.
At the top of this page are 4-chamber, 2 chamber, and 3-chamber views of a patient who had an LAD occlusion. The LGE images show a large, transmural, anterior, anteroseptal, and apical infarct. The dead myocardium is white, while the viable myocardium is black (“bright spots are bad”).
