Time-resolved three-dimensional magnetic resonance digital subtraction angiography without contrast material in the...

To evaluate a novel magnetic resonance (MR) angiography (MRA) of three-dimensional (3D) MR digital subtraction angiography (MRDSA) without contrast material, which is essentially 3D true steady-state free precession (SSFP) with selected inversion recovery (IR) pulse using multiple cardiac phase acquisitions with a short increment delay in the assessment of normal cranial arteries, as a feasibility study before clinical use.

Serial MRA images using 3D MRDSA without contrast material were acquired from 10 healthy volunteers. Visualization of normal cranial arteries with time-spatial labeling inversion pulse (Time-SLIP) MRDSA was qualitatively compared with the conventional MRA method, 3D time-of-flight (TOF)-MRA.

In all volunteers, serial 3D MRDSAs containing hemodynamic information were successfully imaged. The results of visualization of the branches of the cranial arteries with Time-SLIP MRDSA were comparable to those of 3D TOF-MRA. The mean scores +/- standard deviations for normal cerebral arteries (internal carotid arteries, middle cerebral arteries, anterior cerebral arteries, posterior cerebral arteries, and basilar arteries) were 2.4 +/- 0.5, 2.3 +/- 0.5, 2.0 +/- 0.7, 2.3 +/- 0.7, and 2.5 +/- 0.7, respectively.

Time-SLIP 3D MRDSA is a simple method for obtaining hemodynamic information. Although more MR sequence improvement is needed, it can play an important role in assessing cranial arteries without contrast material.