Lower extremity peripheral vein bypass graft wall thickness changes demonstrated at 1 and 6 months after surgery with ultra-high spatial resolution black blood inner volume three-dimensional fast spin echo magnetic resonance imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To demonstrate lower extremity peripheral vein bypass graft wall thickness changes over time in a patient using very high spatial resolution cardiac gated, black blood inner volume three-dimensional (3D) fast spin echo (FSE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).


METHODS
A 52-year-old diabetic man with a history of hyperlipidemia underwent uncomplicated bypass grafting for an asymptomatic 5.2 cm popliteal artery aneurysm using reversed great saphenous vein. A segment of the bypass graft was studied at 1 and 6 months after surgery with cardiac gated inner volume 3D-FSE imaging with non-interpolated 0.195 mm(3) voxel volumes (0.3125 x 0.3125 x 2 mm). T1- and T2-weighted images were acquired in 10 min per contrast weighting. Graft imaging at one month after implantation illustrates expansion of the outer wall of the graft that partially resolves 5 months later.


CONCLUSIONS
In this patient, expansion of the lower extremity peripheral bypass graft wall can be characterized in clinical scan times with a 3D-FSE MRI protocol using highly selective inner volume excitation followed by non-selective refocusing pulses. The resulting 3D images can potentially be used to study the biology of the vessel wall.
Rybicki
Frank John
FJ
Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. frybicki@partners.org
Mitsouras
Dimitrios
D
Owens
Christopher D
CD
Whitmore
Amanda G
AG
Ersoy
Hale
H
Mulkern
Robert V
RV
Creager
Mark A
MA
Conte
Michael S
MS
D000783:Aneurysm / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000098:blood supply*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency