MR Imaging of Thoracic Aortic Disease

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging Technology

Background:

• Thoracic aorta pathologies, including congenital defects and acquired diseases, are traditionally assessed using computed tomography (CT).
• CT has been the primary imaging modality for evaluating the acute aorta.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evolving role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in assessing thoracic aorta pathology.
• To highlight recent advancements in MR imaging techniques for thoracic aorta evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of electrocardiographically (ECG) triggered breath-hold sequences in MR imaging.
• Explanation of ultrafast 3-dimensional MR angiography (MRA) for thoracic aorta assessment.
• Review of MR imaging's capability for high-resolution morphological imaging and vascular flow analysis.

Main Results:

• Advanced MR imaging techniques are positioning MR as a primary modality for thoracic aorta imaging.
• MR imaging provides comprehensive and reproducible evaluation of the thoracic aorta.
• MR offers both detailed structural visualization and functional vascular data.

Conclusions:

• MR imaging is increasingly crucial for evaluating thoracic aorta abnormalities.
• The combination of morphological and functional data from MR provides a complete assessment.
• MR imaging represents a significant advancement in the non-invasive evaluation of the thoracic aorta.