High‐resolution multistation peripheral MR angiography using undersampled projection reconstruction imaging

A novel protocol for three‐station MR angiography (MRA) of the lower extremities is described. A time‐resolved undersampled projection reconstruction (PR) acquisition was used to image the calf station during a first injection, and non‐time‐resolved PR acquisitions were used with the bolus‐chase technique to image the abdomen and thigh stations during a second injection. The streak artifacts resulting from undersampling the PR data were reduced with the use of a spatial Fermi filter based on the sensitivity of each coil element in a peripheral vascular phased‐array coil. This novel technique provided high spatial resolution and a broad range of coverage, and depicted the contrast dynamics in the most distal station of the lower extremities. Magn Reson Med 52:204–208, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.