Aortoiliac imaging by projective phase sensitive MR angiography: effects of triggering and timing of data acquisition...

To assess the ability of projective phase sensitive magnetic resonance (MR) angiography to visualize the aortoiliac vascular segment, and to determine the effects of triggering and timing of data acquisition om image quality, we studied 18 healthy volunteers, mean age 33.3 +/- 11 years, by color Doppler imaging and by MR angiography. MR angiography was performed at 1.5 T using a flow-adjustable gradient-echo (FLAG) sequence operated in both ECG-triggered and non-triggered acquisition modes. The images were graded in a blinded fashion by two independent observers. The data were analyzed using Pearson's chi-square analysis. Eighteen triggered time-resolved and 17 non-triggered, time-averaged MR angiograms consisting of 252 and 17 angiographic images, (AI) respectively, were analyzed. In the triggered mode 69 (27.4%) AI and in the non-triggered mode 2 (11.8%) AI were diagnostic. At least one triggered diagnostic AI was obtained in each subject. The image grades were not statistically different between observers (kappa = 0.6686). In the triggered mode diagnostic images were acquired within +/- 90 msec of the peak systolic flow velocity determined by Doppler. The proportion of diagnostic images in the triggered mode was highest (73.3%) within a 30-msec interval before the peak flow. In healthy subjects the aortoiliac segment is reliably visualized by FLAG MR angiography. The optimum results are achieved using the triggered acquisition mode and timing acquisition to the initial 180 msec of the abdominal aortic systolic flow pulse.