Single Breath-Hold Pulmonary Magnetic Resonance Angiography: Optimization and Comparison of Three Imaging Strategies

Abstract

Ultrafast gradient-recalled-echo techniques for obtaining high-quality pulmonary magnetic resonance angiograms within a single breath-hold were optimized.

Fourteen subjects were imaged with both the body coil and a phased-array surface coil, using three gradient-recalled-echo pulse sequences: 1) two-dimensional sequential; 2) two-dimensional interleaved; and 3) volumetric acquisitions. Image quality was assessed with varied flip angle, receiver bandwidth, slice thickness/number, and matrix size. Cardiac compensation diminished ghost artifacts in the interleaved sequence.Individual sagittal sections and maximum intensity projections were reviewed

Pulmonary magnetic resonance angiograms acquired with volumetric and two-dimensional interleaved gradient-recalled-echo pulse sequences benefit greatest from intravenous gadolinium and result in greater pulmonary arterial visualization than traditional time-of-flight techniques. Phased-array coils result in improved vessel detection.

High-quality breath-held pulmonary magnetic resonance angiography can be obtained with an intravcnous contrast-enhanced gradient-recalled-echo acquisition; however, image quality is dependent on the pulse sequence.