CONTRAST-ENHANCED, K-SPACE-CENTERED, BREATH-HOLD MR-ANGIOGRAPHY OF THE RENAL-ARTERIES AND THE ABDOMINAL-AORTA

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capability of contrast-e nhanced breath-hold fast imaging with steady-state precession (FISP) t hree-dimensional MR angiography (MRA) to detect stenotic lesions of th e abdominal aorta, the renal arteries, and the iliac arteries by using a k-space-centered 20-ml gadolinium-diethylene pentaacetic acid (Gd-D TPA) bolus, Fifty patients were studied before conventional x-ray angi ography, Contrast-enhanced breath-hold FISP three-dimensional MRA was applied in the coronal view, centered at the renal arteries, Twenty mi of Gd-DTPA was used in all subjects, A test bolus was applied to dete rmine the injection time for the k-space-centered bolus injection. Of 300 segments, 284 segments mere classified correctly, II were overesti mated, and five mere underestimated, Sensitivity was 98%, specificity was 96%, positive predictive value was 96%, negative predictive value was 98%, and accuracy was 97%, Of the 50 patients studied, 43 mere sta ged correctly, No venous overlay was seen in 31 patients; partial over lay was seen in 16 patients, and venous structure overlay obscuring ar terial anatomy was found in two patients, Six of nine accessory renal arteries could be identified by MRA. Intraobserver variability was .94 , This study has shown the ability of contrast-enhanced breath-hold FI SP three-dimensional MRA to detect and grade vascular lesions in the a bdominal aorta and the renal arteries, The method may serve as a scree ning tool hi the future.