title: Moyamoya Vessel Pathology Imaged by Ultra-High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 7.0 T.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prompt diagnosis of vessel pathology and appropriate treatment of moyamoya vasculopathy (MMV) are essential to improve long-term prognosis. The aims of our study were to explore the diagnostic value of ultra-high-field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging at 7.0 T in MMV patients and to compare the applicability of two different 7.0 T vessel imaging modalities to 3.0 T magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA).
  
  
  METHODS
  In a World Health Organization-registered and prospective imaging trial, patients were investigated at 7.0 T magnetization-prepared rapid-acquisition gradient echo (MPRAGE)-MRA and time-of-flight (TOF)-MRA, 3.0 T TOF-MRA, and by DSA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six patients were included in our study and evaluated for MMV. 3.0 T TOF-MRA and 7.0 T MPRAGE-MRA were able to depict the complete major vascular tree and confirmed MMV-specific steno-occlusions of major intracranial arteries, as previously identified by DSA. 7.0 T TOF-MRA was limited to visualization of the circle of Willis as well as the internal carotid artery only. Donor vessels for bypass surgery (i.e., branches of superficial temporal artery) could be sufficiently visualized with all magnetic resonance modalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that a specific 7.0 T vascular imaging protocol yields diagnostic information about vessel pathology in MMV that approximates conventional DSA. 7.0 T MPRAGE was superior to 7.0 T TOF-MRA due to shorter scanning times and better brain coverage. To date, however, limited availability of 7.0 T technology in medical facilities as well as technical and procedural constraints excludes a fair amount of patients from the clinical 7.0 T imaging process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nora F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Dengler
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Vince I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Madai
authors.affiliation: Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Neurocure Clinical Research Centre, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Neuroradiology, University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Berlin Ultra-High Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany; Medical Image Analysis Center (MIAC AG), Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wuerfel
authors.affiliation: Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Fraunhofer MEVIS, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Federico C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: von Samson-Himmelstjerna
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroradiology, University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Department of Neurology and Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dusek
authors.affiliation: Berlin Ultra-High Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Thoralf
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niendorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sobesky
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: peter.vajkoczy@charite.de.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vajkoczy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D009072:Moyamoya Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: 7.0 T; MRI; extracranial–intracranial bypass; moyamoya; stroke; ultra–high-field MR