Visualization of intrarenal vessels by 3.0-T MR angiography in comparison with digital subtraction angiography using renal specimens.
BACKGROUND
MRI at 3.0 T enables high-spatial resolution for renal MR angiography.


OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of an arterial tree model in animal kidney specimens with comparison of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and high-field MRI to find out the maximum spatial resolution of intrarenal vessels. It was considered that objective quantitation of angiogram quality could be achieved.


METHODS
A total of 27 pig kidney specimens were examined by MR angiography (flash 3D) using a 3.0-T scanner (TRIO; Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) with an eight-channel head coil and a voxel size of 0.9x0.9x1.1 mm in the early arterial phase after implantation of a 4F catheter in the renal artery. DSA (Integris, Philips, Best, The Netherlands) was performed immediately after the MRI. With the help of semiautomated segmentation, all vessels were marked for comparison of the vessel trees. The Wilcoxon rank test was used for statistical evaluation of vessel numbers and branching depths.


RESULTS
Objective comparison between DSA and MR angiography was achieved. High-field MR angiography had the ability to depict vessels up to the seventh branching on average. Significant differences in vessel delineation and counts were found from the fifth level of intrarenal branching onwards with DSA showing an advantage.


CONCLUSIONS
High-field MRI has great potential in the detection of intrarenal arteries and is comparable to DSA in visualization of the central intrarenal vessel tree.
Schenk
Jens-Peter
JP
Department of Paediatric Radiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 153, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany. jens-peter_schenk@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Friebe
Björn
B
Ley
Sebastian
S
Baudendistel
Klaus
K
Schoebinger
Max
M
Hähnel
Stefan
S
Mehrabi
Arianeb
A
Tröger
Jochen
J
Hallscheidt
Peter
P
D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D007472:Iohexol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013552:Swine
D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; C038192:iopromide; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA