Gadolinium-enhanced 3D time-of-flight Mr angiography

Purpose: To evaluate the influences of Gd-DTPA on 3D time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA).Material and Methods: In an experimental study using a flow phantom, contrast 3D TOF MRA was performed at varying Gd-DTPA concentrations, flow rates, TRs and flip angles. In a clinical study, cranial 3D TOF MR angiograms using Gd-DTPA were obtained in 38 patients to evaluate the efficacy of Gd-DTPA in enhancing the diagnosis of intracranial vascular lesions. Visualization of the venous system and distal arterial branches on contrast MRA was compared with those of noncontrast MRA.Results: In the experimental study, progressive signal loss of inflowing spins due to saturation was smaller with higher concentration of Gd-DTPA. The influences of Gd-DTPA on the saturation effect were more pronounced with a slower flow rate, shorter TR and larger flip angles. In the clinical study, i.v. administration of Gd-DTPA improved the visualization of the venous system and distal arterial branches on 3D TOF MRA. The diagnostic v...