Normal human left and right ventricular dimensions for MRI as assessed by turbo gradient echo and steady-state free precession imaging sequences

Purpose To establish normal ranges of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) dimensions as determined by the current pulse sequences in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and Methods Sixty normal subjects (30 male and 30 female; age range, 20–65) were examined; both turbo gradient echo (TGE) and steady‐state free precession (SSFP) pulse sequences were used to obtain contiguous short‐axis cine data sets from the ventricular apex to the base of the heart. The LV and RV volumes and LV mass were calculated by modified Simpson's rule. Results Normal ranges were established and indexed to both body surface area (BSA) and height. There were statistically significant differences in the measurements between the genders and between TGE and SSFP pulse sequences. For TGE the LV end‐diastolic volume (EDV)/BSA (mL/m2) in males was 74.4 ± 14.6 and in females was 70.9 ± 11.7, while in SSFP in males it was 82.3 ± 14.7 and in females it was 77.7 ± 10.8. For the TGE the LV mass/BSA (g/m2) in males was 77.8 ± 9.1 and in females it was 61.5 ± 7.5, while in SSFP in males it was 64.7 ± 9.3 and in females it was 52.0 ± 7.4. For TGE the RV EDV/BSA (mL/m2) in males was 78.4 ± 14.0 and in females it was 67.5 ± 12.7, while in SSFP in males it was 86.2 ± 14.1 and in females it was 75.2 ± 13.8. Conclusion We have provided normal ranges that are gender specific as well as data that can be used for age‐specific normal ranges for both SSFP and TGE pulse sequences. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2003;17:323–329. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.