Vessel contrast at three Tesla in time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography of the intracranial and carotid arteries

Osama Al-Kwifi; Derek J Emery; Alan H Wilman

doi:10.1016/s0730-725x(02)00486-1

Vessel contrast at three Tesla in time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography of the intracranial and carotid arteries

Magn Reson Imaging. 2002 Feb;20(2):181-7. doi: 10.1016/s0730-725x(02)00486-1.

Authors

Osama Al-Kwifi¹, Derek J Emery, Alan H Wilman

Affiliation

¹ Departments of Biomedical Engineering, and Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada T6G 2G3.

PMID: 12034339
DOI: 10.1016/s0730-725x(02)00486-1

Abstract

The effects of the increased field strength of 3T on blood vessel contrast in three-dimensional time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) of the intracranial and carotid arteries was evaluated. Bloch equation simulations based on measured longitudinal relaxation times suggested superior blood-to-background contrast might be expected at 3T over 1.5T when using typical 3D TOF MRA parameters. A 15-volunteer study found that 3T was preferable over 1.5T for visualising distal intracranial vessels and the carotid arteries, by providing superior background suppression and excellent fat suppression. The combination of improved background suppression and improved signal-to-noise at 3T, enabled high resolution intracranial 3D TOF MRA with voxel volumes as small as 0.14 mm(3) to be acquired.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Carotid Arteries / anatomy & histology*
Circle of Willis / anatomy & histology*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Angiography*
Time Factors