MR angiography of peripheral vessels with automatic trocking-toble technique at 1.0 T in comparison to intraarterial DSA.

Purpose: Contrast-enhanced (CE) 3D-MR angiography of peripheral arteries was performed in 8 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease by applying a new tracking technique on a 1.0 T system (Magnetom Harmony, Siemens). The studies were compared with intra-arterial digital angiography as gold standard. Materials and Methods: imaging of the distal aorta, pelvis, upper and lower limb arteries was accomplished with a Flash-3D-sequence (TRITE = 6.2/3.2 ms) within 26 s acquisition time of each region after a single bolus of 30 ml contrast agent. Individual circulation time was determined by a test bolus before each examination. Results: 112 vessel segments were evaluated. MR angiography achieved a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 100% for detecting high grade stenoses and vessel occlusions. Conclusions: Tracking CE 3D-MR angiography with a 1.0 T MR imager proved to be a promising method in evaluating hemodynamically significant stenoses and occlusions of peripheral arteries. However, its definite role in the diagnostic work-up of peripheral arterial occlusive disease has to be evaluated in larger prospective studies.