On the dual contrast enhancement mechanism in frequency-selective inversion-recovery magnetic resonance angiography (IRON-MRA)

✍ Scribed by Evert-jan Vonken; Grigorios Korosoglou; Jing Yu; Michael Schär; Ralph Weissleder; Matthias Stuber

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 850 KB
• Volume: 62
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0740-3194
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.22027

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The susceptibility of blood changes after administration of a paramagnetic contrast agent that shortens T~1~. Concomitantly, the resonance frequency of the blood vessels shifts in a geometry‐dependent way. This frequency change may be exploited for incremental contrast generation by applying a frequency‐selective saturation prepulse prior to the imaging sequence. The dual origin of vascular enhancement depending first on off‐resonance and second on T~1~ lowering was investigated in vitro, together with the geometry dependence of the signal at 3T. First results obtained in an in vivo rabbit model are presented. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.