Non-contrast enhanced 3D SSFP MRA of the renal allograft vasculature: a comparison between radial linear combination and Cartesian inflow-weighted acquisitions.
Renal transplant patients often require imaging to ensure appropriate graft placement, to assess integrity of transplant vessel anastomosis and to evaluate for stenosis that can be a cause of graft failure. Because there is risk for nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in the setting of renal insufficiency, the use of non-contrast MRA in these patients is helpful. In this study, the ability of two non-contrast MRA methods - 3D radial linear combination balanced SSFP (VIPR-SSFP) and inflow-weighted Cartesian SSFP (IFIR) - to visualize the transplant renal vessels is compared. Twenty-one renal transplant patients were scanned using the VIPR-SSFP and IFIR sequences. Diagnostic efficacy of the sequences was scored using a four point Likert scale according to the following criteria: overall image quality, fat suppression, and arterial/venous visualization quality. Average scores for each criterion were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. In addition to significantly improved venous visualization, the VIPR-SSFP sequence provided significantly improved fat suppression quality (p<0.03) compared to IFIR. VIPR-SSFP also identified several pathologies such as renal arterial pseudoaneurysm that were not visible on the IFIR images. However, IFIR afforded superior quality of arterial visualization (p<0.005). These two methods of non-contrast MR imaging each have significant strengths and are complementary to each other in evaluating the vasculature of renal allografts.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Electronic address: embultman@wisc.edu.
Eric M
EM
Bultman
Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Jessica
J
Klaers
Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Kevin M
KM
Johnson
Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Christopher J
CJ
François
Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Mark L
ML
Schiebler
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Scott B
SB
Reeder
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Walter F
WF
Block
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D003287:Contrast Media; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000473:pathology; D012082:Renal Veins / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
D003287:Contrast Media
Balanced SSFP; IFIR; Magnetic Resonance Angiography; NCE-MRA; Non Contrast Magnetic Resonance Angiography; Renal Allograft; Renal Angiography; Renal Transplantation; VIPR-SSFP