The evaluation of pulmonary arterie's size and elasticity by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with pulmonary hypertension

Grytė Galnaitienė. The evaluation of pulmonary arterie's size and elasticity by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with pulmonary hypertension, Final work thesis, scientific supervisor PhD Antanas Jankauskas, consultant PhD student Lina Padervinskienė. Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Clinic of Radiology. Kaunas, 2016: 38 pages. Aim. To assess the parameters of size and elasticity of pulmonary arterie's (PA) using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Objectives. 1. To evaluate and compare the PA's size parameters between the patients with PH and the control group. 2. To evaluate and compare the PA's elasticity parameters between the patients with PH and the control group. 3. To assess the coincidence in values of main pulmonary artery (MPA) elasticity parameters using two different methods of measurement. 4. To estimate the correlation between PA's size and elasticity. Methods. The CMR images of 42 patients: 32 images of patients with confirmed PH and the other 10 – of the control group were analysed. The assessment included the diameters of MPA, right pulmonary artery (RPA), left pulmonary artery (LPA), ascending aorta (AA), the ratio of MPA/AA and the PA's maximal (maxA) and minimal (minA) cross-sectional areas during the cardiac cycle. The PA's maxA and minA were asessed using two following methods: in cine imaging and phase–contrast imaging. The elasticity measure – relative cross-sectional area change (RAC) was obtained by using this formula: RAC=(maxA–minA)/minAx100%. Results. The diameters of PA's and the MPA/AA ratio was significantly greater in the patients with PH than in the control group, respectively: MPA 34,26 (5,45) vs 26,2 (4,9), RPA 24,05 (4,08) vs 16,78 (3,93), LPA 23,62 (3,4) vs 17,21 (3,16) mm, MPA/AA 1,13 (0,22) vs 0,73 (0,16) (p1. 2. The measurement of elasticity (RAC) should be evaluated to patients with PH. 3. RAC of the MPA should be evaluated in the cine imaging. 4. Diameters and elasticity parameters should be measured according to the proposed methodology