dark blood imaging
MRI technique that suppresses blood signal to enhance contrast between cardiac structures and flowing blood for morphological assessment.
Full Definition
Dark blood imaging is a cardiac MRI technique that uses specific pulse sequences to suppress the signal from flowing blood, making it appear dark or black on the resulting images. This technique enhances the contrast between cardiac structures (such as the myocardium, cardiac masses, or thrombi) and the blood pool, facilitating detailed morphological assessment. Common methods include double inversion recovery (DIR) sequences and flow-sensitive preparation pulses. Dark blood imaging is particularly useful for evaluating cardiac anatomy, detecting intracardiac masses, assessing wall thickness, and characterizing tissue composition.
Usage
Usage note: Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: 'dark-blood sequence.'
In Context
- "Dark blood imaging clearly delineated the intracardiac mass from the surrounding blood pool." — Cardiac mass evaluation
- "T2-weighted dark blood sequences showed increased signal intensity in the inferior wall." — Myocarditis assessment