Free-breathing black-blood CINE fast-spin echo imaging for measuring abdominal aortic wall distensibility: a feasibility study

Abstract

The paper reports a free-breathing black-blood CINE fast-spin echo (FSE) technique for measuring abdominal aortic wall motion. The free-breathing CINE FSE includes the following MR techniques: (1) variable-density sampling with fast iterative reconstruction; (2) inner-volume imaging; and (3) a blood-suppression preparation pulse. The proposed technique was evaluated in eight healthy subjects. The inner-volume imaging significantly reduced the intraluminal artifacts of respiratory motion (p = 0.015). The quantitative measurements were a diameter of 16.3 ± 2.8 mm and wall distensibility of 2.0 ± 0.4 mm (12.5 ± 3.4%) and 0.7 ± 0.3 mm (4.1 ± 1.0%) for the anterior and posterior walls, respectively. The cyclic cross-sectional distensibility was 35 ± 15% greater in the systolic phase than in the diastolic phase. In conclusion, we developed a feasible CINE FSE method to measure the motion of the abdominal aortic wall, which will enable clinical scientists to study the elasticity of the abdominal aorta.

Carotid Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance before Treatment: 4D-Flow versus Standard 2D Imaging

“…The reason for this could be explained by the influence of the noise or motion artefact in the automatic vessel segmentation. This result suggests caution in the interpretation of cross-sectional areas based solely on 4Dflow acquisitions and highlights the necessity of including sequences that allow a precise anatomical assessment in the acquisition protocol, such as black blood cine MRI sequences, which are known to minimise partial volume effects [19,20].…”

Wireless amplified NMR detector for improved visibility of image contrast in heterogeneous lesions

“…By reducing the need for contrast agents, this sensitivity‐enhanced detector can be even more suitable for deep‐lying lesions with no or little blood supply, such as lipid‐rich plaques with thin but intact fibrotic caps, where it is difficult for contrast agents to enter. Although the current study focuses on rodent models with tumors implanted beneath their rectal mucosa for easy access through manual insertion, future work will include automatic delivery of the WAND with a flexible catheter inside the tortuous GI tract to sensitively characterize subtle abnormalities in deep‐lying organs adjacent to the GI tract, such as the pancreas, prostate, kidney, aorta, and abdominal lymph nodes…”