3D Noncontrast protocol
| Name | 3D TOF | 3D MPRAGE | 3D T1WI SPACE/Cube/VISTA | 3D T2WI SPACE/Cube/VISTA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaque feature | Stenosis, ulceration, calcification | Intraplaque hemorrhage | Plaque burden and distribution | LRNC |
| Sequencea | FFE/SPGR | IR-TFE/SPGR | TSE/FSE | TSE/FSE |
| Image mode | 3D | 3D | 3D | 3D |
| Scan plane | Axial | Coronal | Coronal | Coronal |
| TR (ms) | 24 | 15 | 1000 | 2500 |
| TE (ms) | 4.6 | Minimum | 30 | 250 |
| FOV (cm) | 16 × 16 | 16 × 16 | 16 × 16 | 16 × 16 |
| Resolution (mm2) | 0.6 × 0.6 | 0.6 × 0.6 | 0.6 × 0.6 | 0.6 × 0.6 |
| Slice thickness (mm) | 1b | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Blood suppression | Saturation–veins | None | MSDE/FSDc | MSDE/FSD |
| Special parameters | Flip angle = 20° | Flip angle = 15° | Echo-train: variable | Echo-train: variable |
| TI = 500 ms | VFA T1 | VFA T2 | ||
| Turbo factor = 30, IRTR = 800 ms | ||||
| Fat suppression | No | Yes (water excitation) | Yes | Yes |
Note:—SPGR indicates echo-spoiled gradient-echo; FFE, fast-field echo; IR-TFE, inversion recovery–turbo field echo; VFA, variable flip angle; IRTR, time interval between 2 consecutive IR pulses; MSDE, motion-sensitized driven equilibrium; FSD, flow-sensitized dephasing.
↵a Siemens/Philips/GE acronyms.
↵b Interpolated resolution.
↵c Pulse gating not required for any sequence.