MRA of intracranial aneurysms embolized with platinum coils: a vascular phantom study at 1.5T and 3T.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the influence of matrix and echo time (TE) of three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) on the depiction of residual flow in aneurysms embolized with platinum coils at 1.5T and 3T.


METHODS
A simulated intracranial aneurysm of the vascular phantom was loosely packed to maintain the patency of some residual aneurysmal lumen with platinum coils and connected to an electromagnetic flow pump with pulsatile flow. MRAs were obtained altering the matrix and TE of 3D TOF sequences at 1.5T and 3T.


RESULTS
The increased spatial resolution and the shorter TE offered better image quality at 3T. For the depiction of an aneurysm remnant, the high-spatial-resolution 3T MRA (matrix size of 384 x 224 and 512 x 256) with a short TE of < or =3.3 msec were superior to the 1.5T MRA obtained with any sequences.


CONCLUSIONS
3T MRA is superior to 1.5T MRA for the assessment of aneurysms embolized with platinum coils; the combination of the 512 x 256 matrix and short TE (3.3 msec or less) seems feasible at 3T.
Kakeda
Shingo
S
Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Japan. kakeda@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
Korogi
Yukunori
Y
Hiai
Yasuhiro
Y
Sato
Toru
T
Ohnari
Norihiro
N
Moriya
Junji
J
Kamada
Koji
K
D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D010984:Platinum; D011673:Pulsatile Flow
D010984:Platinum