Es. Siegelman et al., Suppression of intravascular signal on fat-saturated contrast-enhanced thoracic MR arteriograms, RADIOLOGY, 217(1), 2000, pp. 115-118
Citations number
13
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology ,Nuclear Medicine & Imaging","Medical Research Diagnosis & Treatment
PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of artifactual signal intensity loss with
in the aortic arch and proximal branch vessels an fat-saturated contrast ma
terial-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) arteriograms of the thoracic aorta
and to hypothesize about the cause of the loss of signal intensity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January and June 1998, 105 consecutive MR ar
teriograms of the thoracic aorta were acquired in 103 patients at 1.5 T. Im
aging included an arterial phase three-dimensional (3D) fat-saturated contr
ast-enhanced gradient-echo (GRE) sequence followed by a delayed two-dimensi
onal (2D) transverse fat-saturated GRE sequence. All MR images were reviewe
d by two radiologists who were blinded to patient history and results of im
aging studies and who evaluated the images for the presence of intraluminal
loss of signal intensity in the aortic arch and the proximal branch vessel
s.
RESULTS: Intravascular toss of signal intensity was present in at least one
vessel on 23 of the 105 arterial phase 3D studies. Seventy-one of 91 left
subclavian arterial segments had loss of signal intensity on the delayed 2D
studies.
CONCLUSION: Intravascular signal intensity loss can be present on contrast-
enhanced fat-saturated images of the aortic arch and proximal branch vessel
s, particularly the left subclavian artery. This phenomenon, which is to th
e authors' knowledge previously unreported and which is hypothesized to res
ult from undesired water saturation, should not be misinterpreted as stenot
ic or occlusive vascular disease.