Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
08:42
Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial-Dependent Flow-Mediated Vasodilation of the Brachial Artery in Clinical Research
Published on: October 22, 2014
26.8K
Vessel-wall imaging and quantification of flow-mediated dilation using water-selective 3D SSFP-echo
Michael C Langham, Cheng Li, Erin K Englund
1Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. wehrli@mail.med.upenn.edu.
Summary
A new 3D water-selective SSFP-echo pulse sequence offers efficient vessel-wall imaging for carotid and peripheral arteries. This fast and robust method enables clear visualization of arterial walls and atherosclerotic plaques.
Area of Science:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Developing efficient methods for imaging vessel walls is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring arterial diseases.
- Conventional 2D vessel-wall imaging techniques have limitations in speed and coverage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate a novel, flow-sensitive 3D water-selective steady-state free precession-echo (SSFP-echo) pulse sequence.
- To assess its efficacy for imaging carotid and peripheral arteries, including plaque visualization and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) measurement.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Bloch equation simulations to determine flow sensitivity of the SSFP-echo signal.
- Acquired 3D vessel wall images of carotid, femoral, and popliteal arteries at 3T.
- Evaluated plaque visualization in peripheral artery disease patients and FMD measurement in healthy subjects.
Main Results:
- The SSFP-echo sequence achieved low blood signal, enabling clear discrimination of arterial walls with high spatial resolution (0.5-0.69 mm in-plane).
- Scan times were rapid (2.5-5 s/slice) with good contrast-to-noise ratios (3.5-17).
- Demonstrated potential for plaque visualization and yielded mean femoral FMD of 9% in subjects.
Conclusions:
- The water-selective 3D SSFP-echo sequence is a viable alternative to 2D vessel-wall imaging.
- The method is fast, robust, handles a wide range of flow velocities, and is easy to implement.
