Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Angiography from the Distal Aorta to the Ankle Joint with a Step-by- Step Technique

OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to visualize the arteries from the distal aorta to the ankle joint and to determine the accuracy of MR angiography for detecting stenoses and occlusions.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Twenty-four patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease underwent digital subtraction angiography and were examined on a 1.5-T MR scanner. The transit time for contrast material was determined with a test bolus injection. A T1-weighted three-dimensional gradient-echo sequence with short TR and TE was used for a dynamic measurement at the level of the iliac arteries, the upper leg, and the lower leg arteries. For each level a single dose of gadolinium was injected into an antecubital vein with an MR power injector. Maximal-intensity-projection reconstructions were calculated after subtraction of the first measurement at each level. Two experienced MR radiologists who were unaware of the digital subtraction angiography results interactively evaluated both the MIP reconstructions and the sing...