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Noninvasive visualization of the basilar artery wall and branch ostia with high‐resolution three‐dimensional black‐blood sequence at 3 tesla
Author(s) -
Lou Xin,
Ma Ning,
Shen Hao,
Shi Kaining,
Jiang Weijian,
Ma Lin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.24222
Subject(s) - medicine , digital subtraction angiography , radiology , basilar artery , subtraction , stenosis , nuclear medicine , blood flow , angiography , mathematics , arithmetic
Purpose To evaluate the usefulness of three‐dimensional (3D) MR black‐blood sequence flow‐dephasing‐prepared fast spoiled gradient recalled echo (FDP‐FSPGR) in screening the basilar artery (BA) wall and the ostia of the adjacent branch arteries. Materials and Methods Twenty‐one patients with BA stenosis >50% on digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were imaged. Three‐dimensional FDP‐FSPGR images were acquired using a flow‐dephasing‐prepared segmented technique, including two spin echoes to overcome the inhomogeneity of the radiofrequency field. Precontrast and postcontrast 3D FDP‐FSPGR sequences were performed. Results The wall of the BA could be visualized in 20 patients with good contrast, and 82 ostia of the adjacent branch arteries were identified on 3D FDP‐FSPGR images. Compared with DSA, the accuracy of it was 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 0.99) for reader 1 and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.86 to 0.98) for reader 2, with strong agreement between the two readers (κ = 0.82). BA plaque enhancement was noted in 16 of the 20 patients after contrast administration. Conclusion The 3D FDP‐FSPGR can be used for high‐spatial‐resolution demonstration and large coverage of the BA wall and the ostia of the adjacent branch arteries. This sequence will make it possible to evaluate therapeutic effects in clinical studies. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;39:911–916. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc .