title: 3D non-contrast-enhanced MR angiography with balanced steady-state free precession Dixon method.
abstract: Balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) is capable of producing ample fat-water separation. In the case of the bSSFP Dixon method, the phase between fat and water can be manipulated by setting repetition time (TR) to an odd-half-multiple of the cycle time and adjusting the center frequency to acquire fat-water in in-phase and opposed-phase images. Adding an image collected when fat and water are in-phase to an image in which fat and water are opposed-phase produces a water-only image. Of the water signals, arterial blood has the highest T(2)/T(1) contrast, making the arterial signal appear brighter than both venous blood and muscle in the final image. In this study, the bSSFP Dixon method was used to collect coronal water-only three-dimensional (3D) volumes at multiple anatomical stations in the legs of five healthy volunteers. The image quality was quantified by region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of signal intensities between arterial blood, venous blood, muscle, and fat. The images were also assessed for diagnostic quality by a trained radiologist. The bSSFP Dixon method was successful in producing non-contrast-enhanced (NCE) images of the blood vessels in the lower limbs. The work presented here is a proof-of-concept for the use of the bSSFP Dixon method for 3D peripheral angiography.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Randall B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabati
authors.forename: Houman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mahallati
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frayne
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*