Myocardial perfusion by first pass contrast magnetic resonance: a robust method for quantitative regional assessment of perfusion reserve index

Assessing myocardial perfusion is a key issue in the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).1 2 A single magnetic resonance (MR) examination can assess perfusion by monitoring the upslope of the signal change in dependence on the first pass of gadolinium derivatives. We propose a method of evaluating the regional distribution of the perfusion reserve index (PRI), defined as the ratio between stress and resting upslopes. The PRI regional distribution was assessed in patients with and without CAD and a PRI cut off was identified.