Imaging of aortic valve dynamics: comparison between sub-millisecond MRI and echocardiography

The aortic valve dynamics is traditionally examined using ultrasound echocardiography in clinical practice. Recently, a novel MRI technique capable of sub-millisecond temporal resolution, coined get-SPEEDI MRI, was successfully applied to visualize the aortic valve dynamics. We have evaluated both get-SPEEDI and echocardiography on healthy human subjects and found a substantial agreement between both techniques in the characterization of the aortic valve opening and closing phases. The sub-millisecond temporal resolution of get-SPEEDI allows for the measurement of steep AVA variations and the visualization of detailed features that may reflect the cardiac function and physiology.