Non-contrast mDixon MR angiography of the neck: Comparison with time-of-flight MR angiography in normal subjects

• Published in: Medicine (Baltimore) Vol. 100; no. 51; p. e28351
• Main Authors: Mizoshiri, Tomohiro, Yoshida, Morikatsu, Oda, Seitaro, Tsumagari, Shota, Nakaura, Takeshi, Harada, Kazunori, Ikeda, Osamu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 23.12.2021
• Subjects: Carotid Arteries - diagnostic imaging; Contrast Media; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Magnetic Resonance Angiography - methods; Neck - diagnostic imaging; Quality Improvement Study; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Signal-To-Noise Ratio
• ISSN: 0025-7974; 1536-5964; 1536-5964
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000028351

We investigated the feasibility of non-contrast three-dimensional modified Dixon (mDixon) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to evaluate the carotid artery.We studied 30 normal patients who underwent non-contrast mDixon and conventional time-of-flight (TOF) MRA of the neck with a clinical 3T MR scanner. Carotid artery signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio were compared between mDixon-MRA and TOF-MRA. Two readers independently evaluated vessel sharpness, image contrast, and overall image quality using a 4-point scale.SNR was significantly higher on mDixon-MRA than TOF-MRA (P < .01). There was no significant difference in contrast-to-noise ratio. The visual score for vessel sharpness was significantly higher on mDixon-MRA than TOF-MRA (P < .01), whereas the score for contrast was significantly higher on TOF-MRA (P < .01).Although non-contrast three-dimensional mDixon-MRA showed lower visual contrast than conventional TOF-MRA, it provided images with significantly higher SNR and better vessel sharpness than TOF-MRA.