Contrast-Enhanced MR Angiography at 3T in the Evaluation of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Comparison with Time-of-Flight MR Angiography

• Published in: American Journal of Neuroradiology Vol. 27; no. 10; pp. 2118 - 2121
• Main Authors: Nael, K, Villablanca, J.P, Saleh, R, Pope, W, Nael, A, Laub, G, Finn, J.P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oak Brook, IL Am Soc Neuroradiology 01.11.2006; American Society of Neuroradiology
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Contrast Media; Electrodiagnosis. Electric activity recording; Female; Humans; Intracranial Aneurysm - diagnosis; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Magnetic Resonance Angiography - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous. Technology; Nervous system; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Vascular disease; Evaluation; Intracranial; Nervous system diseases; Radiodiagnosis; Flight; Aneurysm; Cardiovascular disease; NMR angiography; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0195-6108; 1936-959X; 1432-1920

The combination of 3T and parallel-acquisition techniques holds promise for improved performance of contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA), in terms of speed, spatial resolution, and coverage. We present a comparison of 2 MRA techniques, including time-of-flight (TOF) and contrast-enhanced MRA, for detection and evaluation of intracranial aneurysms. Our results show that contrast-enhanced MRA with highly accelerated parallel acquisition at 3T does not have the known drawbacks of TOF-MRA techniques, including prolonged acquisition time, spin saturation, and flow-related artifacts, with comparable aneurysm characterization.