RENAL-ARTERIES - CLINICAL COMPARISON OF 3-DIMENSIONAL TIME-OF-FLIGHT MR ANGIOGRAPHIC SEQUENCES AND RADIOGRAPHIC ANGIOGRAPHY

PURPOSE: To prospectively compare three magnetic resonance (MR) angiog raphic techniques in the renal arteries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty -five adult patients underwent three-dimensional time-of-flight MR ang iography with three different sequences: conventional, tilted optimize d nonsaturating excitation (TONE), and selective inversion-recovery ra pid gradient-echo (SIR-RAGE). Fifteen also underwent radiographic angi ography, Stenosis grade measured with each MR angiographic technique w as compared with that measured with radiographic angiography by using correlation coefficients. Visible artery lengths with each MR angiogra phic technique were compared by using the Tukey method. RESULTS: Corre lation between stenosis grades with each MR angiographic technique and with radiographic angiography was good (P < .01). Stenosis was correc tly excluded with SIR-RAGE findings in six patients. Mean visible arte ry length was greatest with SIR-RAGE (P < .01). CONCLUSION: SIR-RAGE d epicts a greater length of renal artery than does conventional MR angi ography. TONE also improved depiction of distal arteries. Normal SIR-R AGE findings were highly predictive of normal arteries.