Improved 2D time-of-flight angiography using a radial-line k-space acquisition

For flow imaging applications, radial-line k-space acquisition methods offer advantages over conventional 2DFT methods. Specifically, radial-line acquisition methods mitigate artifacts resulting from pulsatile flow while offering a potential reduction in scan times. In this paper, radial-line and 2DFT acquisitions are compared in a two-dimensional time-of-flight angiography sequence. The twisting radial-line (TwiRL) trajectory, a variant of 2D projection reconstruction, is used to represent the family of radial-line trajectories. In both phantom and in vivo studies, the TwiRL images demonstrate improved vessel depiction including a more uniform signal intensity and better delineation of the vasculature in comparison with images obtained via the 2DFT method.