title: Cross-sectional and in-plane coronary vessel wall imaging using a local inversion prepulse and spiral read-out: a comparison between 1.5 and 3 Tesla.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare cross-sectional and in-plane coronary vessel wall imaging using a spiral readout at 1.5 and 3 Tesla (T).
  
  
  METHODS
  Free-breathing coronary vessel wall imaging using a local inversion technique and spiral readout was implemented. Images were acquired in ten healthy adult subjects on a 3T clinical scanner using a 32-element cardiac coil and repeated on a 1.5T clinical scanner using a 5-element coil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cross-sectional and in-plane spiral vessel wall imaging was performed at both 1.5 and 3T. In cross-sectional images, artifact scores were superior at 1.5T (P < 0.05) but no significant difference was found in image quality scores compared with 3T. Image quality (P < 0.01) and artifact scores (P < 0.01) were found to be superior for in-plane images at 1.5T. Vessel wall sharpness in the in-plane orientation was also found to be higher at 1.5T (P < 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although excellent in-plane coronary vessel wall images can be acquired at 3T, the overall robustness may be affected by off-resonance blurring due to increased B0 inhomogeneity compared with 1.5T.
authors.affiliation: Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, United Kingdom. sarah.peel@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Peel
authors.forename: Tarique
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schaeffter
authors.forename: Gerald F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Greil
authors.forename: Miriam W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Lagemaat
authors.forename: Rene M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Botnar
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity