MR imaging of the thoracic aorta

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Thoracic Radiology

Background:

• The thoracic aorta is susceptible to diverse pathologies requiring specialized imaging evaluation.
• Accurate assessment of aortic morphology and adjacent structures is essential for diagnosis and management.
• Various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pulse sequences offer distinct advantages for thoracic aorta assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the utility of different MRI pulse sequences for evaluating thoracic aorta pathology.
• To highlight the role of specific sequences in assessing aortic morphology, flow, and disease progression.

Main Methods:

• Preliminary imaging often involves TrueFISP and precontrast/postcontrast T1 GRE-FS sequences for morphological assessment.
• Contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) is the primary diagnostic tool.
• Temporally resolved subsecond CE-MRA is employed for high-flow lesions, and phase-contrast MRA (PC-MRA) for stenotic lesions and disease monitoring.

Main Results:

• Preliminary sequences provide essential morphological information.
• CE-MRA is the mainstay for investigating thoracic aorta conditions.
• Subsecond CE-MRA effectively assesses high-flow lesions without increasing contrast load, while PC-MRA aids in characterizing stenosis and monitoring disease.

Conclusions:

• A combination of MRI pulse sequences, including CE-MRA and PC-MRA, provides comprehensive evaluation of thoracic aorta pathology.
• Advanced techniques like subsecond CE-MRA offer specific benefits for high-flow lesions.
• These MRI methods are valuable for diagnosis, characterization, and monitoring of thoracic aortic diseases.