Technical developments in MR angiography

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography has evolved rapidly since the early studies by Prince et al. Whereas many of the procedures in clinical use today rely heavily on the use of gadolinium contrast agents and standard Fourier transform acquisition techniques, advances will have a significant impact on MR angiography by shortening acquisition time, improving reproducibility of image acquisition techniques, and improving spatial resolution or signal-to-noise ratio. From a technical basis, shorter acquisition times associated with fast gradients are likely to improve spatial resolution and allow for acquisition of MR images over large fields of view. In addition, alternative K-space sampling techniques, such as parallel imaging and projection reconstruction, are expected to reduce further acquisition time while maintaining or improving spatial resolution. The approval and subsequent use of new contrast agents also will benefit the image quality of CE MR angiography applications. It is likely that these contrast agents will be coupled with advanced acquisition techniques to improve spatial resolution and technical success rates of MR angiography examinations.