title: MR portal venography: preliminary results of fast acquisition without contrast material or breath holding.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors performed this study to evaluate the feasibility of using the steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence to perform magnetic resonance (MR) venography of the portal venous system without the use of contrast material or breath holding.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven patients underwent MR venography with the SSFP technique. Coronal three-dimensional images were obtained with respiratory triggering. Contrast material and respiratory suspension were not used. All patients had recently undergone at least one other imaging study (conventional angiography, transhepatic portal venography, ultrasound, or contrast-enhanced computed tomography), and these findings were correlated with those from MR venography. The structures evaluated were the main portal vein, right portal vein, left portal vein, superior mesenteric vein, and splenic vein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MR venography with SSFP accurately depicted the status of these veins in all cases except one. In this patient, MR venography depicted portal vein thrombus but could not indicate that it was tumor thrombus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MR venography with SSFP accurately depicted the portal venous system in 10 of 11 patients without the use of respiratory suspension or contrast material.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, 94143-0628, USA.
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Jeanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: LaBerge
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Kerlan
authors.forename: Alastair J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Oliver M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vitalich
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: Roy L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010690:Phlebography / Q000379:methods*; D011168:Portal System / Q000473:pathology; D011172:Portography; D012119:Respiration; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media