Simultaneous static and cine nonenhanced MR angiography using radial sampling and highly constrained back projection reconstruction.

PURPOSE: To describe a pulse sequence for simultaneous static and cine nonenhanced magnetic resonance angiography (NEMRA) of the peripheral arteries.

METHODS: The peripheral arteries of 10 volunteers and 6 patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) were imaged with the proposed cine NEMRA sequence on a 1.5 Tesla (T) system. The impact of multi-shot imaging and highly constrained back projection (HYPR) reconstruction was examined. The propagation rate of signal along the length of the arterial tree in the cine nonenhanced MR angiograms was quantified.

RESULTS: The cine NEMRA sequence simultaneously provided a static MR angiogram showing vascular anatomy as well as a cine display of arterial pulse wave propagation along the entire length of the peripheral arteries. Multi-shot cine NEMRA improved temporal resolution and reduced image artifacts. HYPR reconstruction improved image quality when temporal reconstruction footprints shorter than 100 ms were used (P < 0.001). Pulse wave propagation within the arterial tree as displayed by cine NEMRA was slower in patients with PAD than in volunteers.

CONCLUSION: Simultaneous static and cine NEMRA of the peripheral arteries is feasible. Multi-shot acquisition and HYPR reconstruction can be used to improve arterial conspicuity and temporal resolution.