TY - JOUR
T1 - Patient-independent, MHD-robust R-peak detection for retrospective gating in cardiac MRI imaging
AU - Ganassin, Sara
AU - Galli, Alessandra
AU - Ouzounov, Sotir
AU - Narduzzi, Claudio
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - Objective. In cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, synchronization of image acquisition with heart motion (called gating) is performed by detecting R-peaks in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Effective gating is challenging with 3T and 7T scanners, due to severe distortion of ECG signals caused by magnetohydrodynamic effects associated with intense magnetic fields. This work proposes an efficient retrospective gating strategy that requires no prior training outside the scanner and investigates the optimal number of leads in the ECG acquisition set. Approach. The proposed method was developed on a data set of 12-lead ECG signals acquired within 3T and 7T scanners. Independent component analysis is employed to effectively separate components related with cardiac activity from those associated to noise. Subsequently, an automatic selection process identifies the components best suited for accurate R-peak detection, based on heart rate estimation metrics and frequency content quality indexes. Main results. The proposed method is robust to different B0 field strengths, as evidenced by R-peak detection errors of 2.4 ± 3.1 ms and 10.6 ± 15.4 ms for data acquired with 3T and 7T scanners, respectively. Its effectiveness was verified with various subject orientations, showcasing applicability in diverse clinical scenarios. The work reveals that ECG leads can be limited in number to three, or at most five for 7T field strengths, without significant degradation in R-peak detection accuracy. Significance. The approach requires no preliminary ECG acquisition for R-peak detector training, reducing overall examination time. The gating process is designed to be adaptable, completely blind and independent of patient characteristics, allowing wide and rapid deployment in clinical practice. The potential to employ a significantly limited set of leads enhances patient comfort.
AB - Objective. In cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, synchronization of image acquisition with heart motion (called gating) is performed by detecting R-peaks in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Effective gating is challenging with 3T and 7T scanners, due to severe distortion of ECG signals caused by magnetohydrodynamic effects associated with intense magnetic fields. This work proposes an efficient retrospective gating strategy that requires no prior training outside the scanner and investigates the optimal number of leads in the ECG acquisition set. Approach. The proposed method was developed on a data set of 12-lead ECG signals acquired within 3T and 7T scanners. Independent component analysis is employed to effectively separate components related with cardiac activity from those associated to noise. Subsequently, an automatic selection process identifies the components best suited for accurate R-peak detection, based on heart rate estimation metrics and frequency content quality indexes. Main results. The proposed method is robust to different B0 field strengths, as evidenced by R-peak detection errors of 2.4 ± 3.1 ms and 10.6 ± 15.4 ms for data acquired with 3T and 7T scanners, respectively. Its effectiveness was verified with various subject orientations, showcasing applicability in diverse clinical scenarios. The work reveals that ECG leads can be limited in number to three, or at most five for 7T field strengths, without significant degradation in R-peak detection accuracy. Significance. The approach requires no preliminary ECG acquisition for R-peak detector training, reducing overall examination time. The gating process is designed to be adaptable, completely blind and independent of patient characteristics, allowing wide and rapid deployment in clinical practice. The potential to employ a significantly limited set of leads enhances patient comfort.
KW - cardiac gating
KW - cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
KW - electrocardiogram
KW - independent component analysis
KW - magnetic hydrodynamic effect
KW - Heart Rate
KW - Humans
KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods
KW - Male
KW - Cardiac-Gated Imaging Techniques/methods
KW - Heart/diagnostic imaging
KW - Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods
KW - Electrocardiography
KW - Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
KW - Adult
KW - Female
KW - Retrospective Studies
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85191502095&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/1361-6579/ad3d27
DO - 10.1088/1361-6579/ad3d27
M3 - Article
C2 - 38599227
AN - SCOPUS:85191502095
SN - 0967-3334
VL - 45
JO - Physiological Measurement
JF - Physiological Measurement
IS - 4
M1 - 045008
ER -