Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) of the kidney at 5T – initial results

At high magnetic field strengths (B0 ≥ 3 T), susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is an appealing approach for increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). To our knowledge, implementation of SWI on the kidney at higher field MRI (> 3T) has not been attempted yet. This initial study proved that it is possible to obtain SWI at 5T for renal with sufficient image quality. For 5T SWI, SNR of cortex and medulla and CNR of cortex/medulla were significantly higher than at 3T, leading to improved vessel conspicuity and corticomedullary discrimination.