[The noninvasive study of cerebral veins and dural sinuses: comparison of two MR angiography techniques].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate MR venography with bolus injection of intravenous contrast and elliptical filling of the K space, using three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo (3D-FSPGR) sequences, and to compare it to the technique most frequently employed in the study of cerebral veins and dural sinuses, which is two-dimensional time-of-flight (2D-TOF) MR venography.


METHODS
Source images, multiplanar reconstructions, and maximum intensity projections (MIP) were obtained using both 2D-TOF venography and contrasted-enhanced 3D-FSPGR venography in 20 healthy volunteers. Two radiologists independently evaluated both techniques for the visualization of twenty-one predefined venous structures, classifying the depiction as completely visible, partially visible, or not visible.


RESULTS
The predefined venous structures were completely visible in 795 of 840 (94.6%) of the evaluations of contrast-enhanced 3D-FSPGR images versus 682 of 840 (81.1%) evaluations of 2D-TOF venography images. In the major dural sinuses, visualization was complete in 99.4% of the readings of contrast-enhanced 3D-FSPGR images versus 81% in the readings of the 2D-TOF images.


CONCLUSIONS
3D-FSPGR with elliptical filling of the K space and bolus injection of contrast material provides higher quality images of the intracranial venous system than those obtained using 2D-TOF sequences.
Pérez
A J
AJ
Servicio de Radiodiagnóstico, Hospital de Cabueñes, Gijón, Asturias, España.
Hernández
L C
LC
Ornia
M
M
García
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002550:Cerebral Veins / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010690:Phlebography / Q000379:methods*