Non-Invasive 3.0T MR Angiography of Peripheral Arteries and Veins Using 3D-HASTE

Three-tesla MRI machines are widely used in clinical medicine. Expectations to 3.0 T MRA are so large in depicting blood vessels in a short time, clearly and non-invasively. We developed a 3.0 T MRA tactics and carried it out for peripheral regions without contrast agent. Five volunteers were examined with a 3.0 T machine. The sequence was 3D-HASTE. Parameters were as follows; FOV: 450 mm, Matrix: 192 x 256, Slice: 1.6 mm x 96 partitions, TR: 2 x RR, TE: 48 msec, Fat Sat: STIR, and GRAPPA: reduction factor 2. A flow-spoiling gradient field was added in the readout direction. Arteries and veins were distinguished by ECG and pulse-trigger timing. Depending on the timing, two 3D data sets were acquired; the first data set was acquired form the early phase of the pulse-triggering, and the second data set was acquired from the late phase of the pulse-triggering. Artery native data set was made from the late-phase data subtracted from the early-phase data.