MR angiography of the vascular tree from the aorta to the foot: Combining two-dimensional time-of-flight and three-dimensional contrast-enhanced imaging

A composite approach for magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of the lower e xtremities is described. Thirty patients were studied with this approach, w hich combined a two-dimensional (2D) time-of-flight (TOF) technique with a 3D contrast-enhanced technique. A head/neck coil was selected for imaging m id-foot to upper calf, and the body coil was used for the remainder of the peripheral vascular tree. Acquired data were transferred to a workstation f or postprocessing. The final maximum intensity projection images, which dis play the entire vascular anatomy from aortic bifurcation to foot, were crea ted using a 1024 x 1024 matrix. Very small arteries can be differentiated i n critical regions like the calf and foot. Compared with TOF-2D alone, the scan time was reduced. This method offers another option for MR angiography of the lower extremities. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.