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Three-dimensional contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography in aortic diseases
Boban Thomas1, José Roquette, Rafael Ferreira
1Serviço de Cardiologia, Hospital Fernando da Fonseca, Amadora.
Insights
High-resolution 3D magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is feasible for assessing aortic diseases using a 1 Tesla scanner. This fast, high-quality imaging technique offers a valuable alternative for patients, especially those with acute aortic syndromes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Medical Physics
- Radiology
Background:
- Aortic diseases require accurate imaging for diagnosis and management.
- Conventional imaging techniques can be time-consuming or invasive.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers non-invasive visualization capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of 3D aortic angiography using 1 Tesla MRI.
- To assess image quality and acquisition time for this technique.
- To determine its potential utility in patients with aortic conditions.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen patients with aortic diseases underwent 31 MRI exams.
- Acquisitions included fast spin echo, gradient echo, and time-of-flight angiography.
- A gadolinium-based contrast agent was administered intravenously.
Main Results:
- All MRI scans were well tolerated by patients.
- Successful aortic lumen opacification was achieved in all cases.
- 3D reconstructions were generated from breath-held sequences within minutes.
Conclusions:
- 3D aortic angiography on a 1 Tesla MRI scanner is feasible.
- The technique provides high-quality, high-resolution images rapidly.
- It may replace conventional spin echo sequences, improving efficiency for acute aortic syndromes.
Objectives:
To assess the feasibility of performing high resolution reconstructed three-dimensional aortic angiography on a 1 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner in patients with aortic diseases.
Methods:
Seventeen patients underwent thirty-one MR exams that included fast spin echo, gradient echo and time-of-flight angiography acquisitions after administration of a commercially available gadolinium contrast agent injected as a bolus.
Results:
All scans were well tolerated and aortic lumen opacification was achieved at the appropriate time in all patients. The angiography scans were obtained with breath-held sequences that required approximately 25 seconds to scan and six to eight minutes to form a three-dimensional reconstruction.
Conclusion:
Three-dimensional aortic angiography is feasible on a 1 Tesla scanner, with images of extremely high quality and resolution, achieved in a few minutes. It is possible to acquire all the information that conventional or fast spin echo provides from the reconstructed three-dimensional scans, avoiding the need for the cumbersome acquisition of the spin echo images, improving speed and decreasing imaging times, which may be of importance in patients with acute aortic syndromes.