Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the feasibility of a scoutless method, termed EZ‐STEP, for stepping‐table peripheral contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE‐MRA).
Materials and Methods
This scoutless method involves the use of a stepping‐table, fast 3D MRA acquisition that incorporates spatially nonselective radiofrequency (RF) pulses for excitation to reduce the repetition time (TR). The sequence was tested in a phantom. The EZ‐STEP protocol was optimized in four healthy volunteers and used in 15 subjects. The image quality was scored in a blinded fashion and compared with conventional MRA in eight patients.
Results
The acquisition speed of the EZ‐STEP sequence was approximately 30% faster in the phantom study compared to the conventional MRA sequence. The total examination time for EZ‐STEP was 6 minutes, compared to an average of 23 minutes for conventional MRA. The average image quality scores for EZ‐STEP and conventional MRA for stations 1–3 were 3.50 vs. 3.06 (P = 0.087), 3.53 vs. 3.00 (P = 0.033), and 2.97 vs. 2.50 (P = 0.090), respectively.
Conclusion
EZ‐STEP is a more efficient method than the conventional approach for stepping‐table peripheral CE‐MRA, and provides comparable or better image quality. This method shortens the examination time substantially and eliminates the risk of failing to image a vessel because of improper positioning of the scan volume. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.