High-resolution multistation peripheral MR angiography using undersampled projection reconstruction imaging

A novel protocol for three-station MR angiography (MRA) of the lower extremities is described. A time-resolved undersampled projection reconstruction (PR) acquisition was used to image the calf station during a first injection, and non-time-resolved PR acquisitions were used with the bolus-chase technique to image the abdomen and thigh stations during a second injection. The streak artifacts resulting from undersampling the PR data were reduced with the use of a spatial Fermi filter based on the sensitivity of each coil element in a peripheral vascular phased-array coil. This novel technique provided high spatial resolution and a broad range of coverage, and depicted the contrast dynamics in the most distal station of the lower extremities.