Spinal Cord MR Angiography Protocol
| Variable | Data |
|---|---|
| Field strength | 1.5T |
| Coil | Synergy spine phased array coil |
| Pulse sequence | 3D fast-gradient recalled echo, with centric k-space filling |
| TR/TE/FA | 6.0 ms/1.7 ms/30° |
| Directions | Frequency-encoding CC; phase-encoding AP; sagittal slices |
| FOV/RFOV | ≤50 cm CC/40%–70% reduction AP |
| Acquisition time | 35-52 seconds per dynamic phase |
| Contrast administration | 0.2–0.3 mmol Gd-DTPA/kg body weight, injected at 3 mL/s |
| Voxel size | ∼0.8 × 0.8 × 1.2 mm |
| Precontrast | Similar acquisition for subtraction |
| Dynamic phases | ≥2 |
| Scan delay | Scan delay time of acquisition is set to filling of abdominal aorta, determined by MR fluoroscopy with 2-mL test bolus |
Note:—FA indicates flip angle; RFOV, reduced FOV; CC, craniocaudal; AP, anterior-posterior; Gd-DTPA, gadolinium-diethylene-triaminepentaacetic acid.