Can Three-Dimensional T1-weighted MR Imaging Visualize the Vascular Lumen after Carotid Artery Stenting?

We aimed to evaluate the quality of various 3D T₁-weighted images (T₁WIs) of the stent lumen using a carotid stent phantom and determine the suitable T₁WI sequence for visualization of the stent lumen after carotid artery stenting.

The carotid stent phantom consisted of polypropylene tubes that mimicked common carotid arteries with and without stenting. On 1.5T and 3.0T MRI scanners, transverse T₁WIs of the carotid stent phantom were obtained using 3D turbo spin-echo (TSE), 3D fast field-echo (3D-FFE), and 3D turbo field echo volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) under clinical conditions. The signal intensity ratio (SIR) was determined using the mean signal intensity of the stent lumen (SI_stent) divided by the lumen without a stent in each T₁WI. The SNR of the stent lumen (SNR_stent) was calculated from SI_stent divided by the standard deviation of the uniform region near the stent lumen.

The 3D-FFE and VIBE had higher SNR_stent than other T₁WIs and clearly visualized the stent lumen. The 3D-TSE had the lowest SIR and SNR_stent, preventing stent lumen visualization.

T₁WIs obtained using 3D-FFE and VIBE allows stent lumen visualization.