Non-contrast-enhanced MR angiography for selective visualization of the hepatic vein and inferior vena cava with true steady-state free-precession sequence and time-spatial labeling inversion pulses: preliminary results.
OBJECTIVE
To selectively visualize the hepatic vein and inferior vena cava (IVC) using three-dimensional (3D) true steady-state free-precession (SSFP) MR angiography with time-spatial labeling inversion pulse (T-SLIP), and to optimize the acquisition protocol.


METHODS
Respiratory-gated 3D true SSFP scans were conducted in 23 subjects in combination with two different T-SLIPs (one placed in the thorax to suppress the arterial signal and the other in the abdomen to suppress the portal venous signal). One of the most important factors was the inversion time (TI) of abdominal T-SLIP, and the image quality was evaluated at four different TIs of 800, 1200, 1600, and 2000 msec in terms of relative signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and mean visualization scores.


RESULTS
No significant difference was observed in SNR and CNR between each TI. However, IVC visualization scores were better at TIs of 1600 and 2000 msec, and overall image quality was better at TIs of 1200 and 1600 msec. Therefore, the TI of 1600 msec was considered to provide the optimal balance between IVC visualization and signal suppression of the portal vein in our protocol.


CONCLUSIONS
True SSFP scan with T-SLIPs enabled selective visualization of the hepatic vein and IVC without an exogenous contrast agent.
Shimada
Kotaro
K
Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. kotaro@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Isoda
Hiroyoshi
H
Okada
Tomohisa
T
Kamae
Toshikazu
T
Maetani
Yoji
Y
Arizono
Shigeki
S
Hirokawa
Yuusuke
Y
Shibata
Toshiya
T
Togashi
Kaori
K
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016477:Artifacts; D005260:Female; D006503:Hepatic Veins; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior