Peripheral arterial disease: Sensitivity-encoded multiposition MR angiography compared with intraarterial angiography and conventional multiposition MR angiography

A sensitivity-encoded magnetic resonance (MR) angiography protocol was developed in which imaging times in the pelvic and upper-leg positions were reduced and isotropic submillimeter voxel volumes were,acquired in the lower-leg position. To achieve this, sensitivity encoding and random central-k-space segmentation in a centric filling order were applied. Results with this technique were compared with those with midstream aortic digital subtraction angiography (DSA) (as the reference standard) and conventional MR angiography in 15 patients with peripheral vascular disease. The results show that sensitivity-encoded MR angiography demonstrates increased diagnostic accuracy in comparison to that with conventional MR angiography and depicts more open infragenual arterial segments compared with both midstream aortic DSA and conventional MR angiography. (C) RSNA, 2004.