Table 4 Components of a Standardized 30-min CMR Protocol

Localizer

Single shot FSE, GRE, or

bight blood bSSFP

3 orthogonal slices (axial, coronal, sagittal)

Transverse stack covering the heart

Standard cardiac planes: 2-chamber, 4-chamber, 3-chamber, short axis stack

5 min

Perfusion

Saturation recovery bSSFP or GRE

Short axis planes (base, mid, apex);

Long-axis plane of choice

Simultaneous intravenous injection of contrast (rate = 3–7 mL/s; 30 mL saline flush)

5 min

Cine Imaging

k-space segmented cine bSSFP

or

k-space segmented cine GRE e.g., to reduce susceptibility artifact

Standard cardiac planes: 2-chamber, 4-chamber, 3-chamber, LVOT, and shot axis stack (2D slices covering the heart from base to apex)

Breath hold at end-expiration

8–10 min

LGE

2D inversion recovery (IR) bSSFP or GRE; optimal to include phase-sensitive inversion recovery reconstructions

Select inversion time that nulls normal myocardium, optimally with a mid-short axis plane TI scout acquisition

Standard cardiac planes (same as cine imaging)

5–10 min