title: Comparison of whole body MR angiography at 1.5 and 3 Tesla in patients with hereditary hyperlipidemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients suffering from hereditary hyperlipidemia have a high risk for premature cardiovascular disease and death as a consequence of accelerated atherosclerosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To prospectively and intra-individually compare image quality and detectability of stenoses in contrast enhanced whole-body MRA (WBMRA) at 1.5 and 3 Tesla (T) in patients with hereditary hyperlipidemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven patients with hereditary hyperlipidemia received a 1.5 and 3 T gadopentetate dimeglumine contrast-enhanced WBMRA. Twenty-three defined arterial segments were analyzed regarding depiction of target vessels and image quality according to a 5-point-scale ('not evaluable' to 'excellent'). Wilcoxon matched pair test was performed for comparison. Forty-three defined arterial segments were analyzed for the degree of stenosis (0%, 1-49%, 50-99% and 100%) as well as vessel alterations such as aneurysms. Chi-square test was performed for comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1.5 T and 3 T scans yielded WBMRA with diagnostic quality in all patients. In seven of 23 arterial segments (30.4%) image quality was rated significantly higher at 3 T, whereas there was no significant difference in the remaining 16 segments between WBMRA at 1.5 T and 3 T. All relevant stenoses (n = 5), occlusions (n = 6), and aneurysms (n = 3) were evaluated similarly at both field strengths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WBMRA can be performed at 1.5 T and 3 T with diagnostic image quality. Image quality was significantly higher at 3 T than at 1.5 T in only 30.4% of the arterial segments. In order to effectively take advantage of the higher field strength, further optimization of sequence parameters and injection protocols for WBMRA at 3 T is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. p.bannas@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bannas
authors.forename: Anna Katharina
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Finck-Wedel
authors.forename: Jan-Hendrik
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Buhk
authors.forename: Thorsten Alexander
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bley
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koops
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kooijman
authors.forename: Frank-Ulrich
authors.initials: FU
authors.lastname: Beil
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA