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Velocity measurement of microvessels using phase‐contrast magnetic resonance angiography at 7 tesla MRI
Author(s) -
Kang ChangKi,
Park ChanA,
Lee David Soobin,
Lee YeongBae,
Park CheolWan,
Kim YoungBo,
Cho ZangHee
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.25600
Subject(s) - magnetic resonance imaging , magnetic resonance angiography , blood flow , flow velocity , contrast (vision) , nuclear magnetic resonance , phase contrast microscopy , flow (mathematics) , medicine , nuclear medicine , biomedical engineering , radiology , physics , optics , mechanics
Purpose The purpose of this study was to measure the velocity and direction of blood flow in microvessels, such as lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs), using PC MRA. Methods Eleven healthy subjects were scanned with 7 Tesla (T) MRI. Three velocity encoding (VENC) values of 15, 50, and 100 cm/s were tested for detecting the flow velocity in LSAs. The flow directions in Circle of Willis (CoW) were also examined with images obtained by the proposed method. Three subjects were also scanned with 3T MRI to determine the possibility of velocity measurement in LSAs. Difference between 3T and 7T was quantitatively analyzed in terms of signal‐to‐noise ratio and velocities in vessels and static tissues. Results In 7T MRI, use of VENC = 15 cm/s provided great visualization and velocity measurements in small and slow flowing vessels, such as the LSAs. The mean of peak velocities in LSAs was 9.61 ± 1.78 cm/s. The results obtained with low VENC also clearly depicted the directions of flow in CoW, especially in posterior communicating arteries. However, 3T MRI could not detect the velocity of blood flow in LSAs. Conclusion This study demonstrated the potential for measuring the velocity and direction of blood flow in the targeted microvessels using an appropriate VENC and 7T MRI. Magn Reson Med 75:1640–1646, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.