Popliteal and tibioperoneal arteries: feasibility of two-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography and phase velocity mapping.

To assess the feasibility of using magnetic resonance (MR) angiography and velocity-encoded cine MR imaging to evaluate morphology and function in the popliteal and tibioperoneal arteries, the profiles of blood flow velocity measured with velocity-encoded cine MR were compared with those measured with color-coded sonography. Two-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography was performed in the popliteal and tibioperoneal arteries of 10 healthy subjects; velocity-encoded cine MR and color-coded sonography were performed above and below the trifurcation. The velocity waveforms acquired with velocity-encoded cine MR and color-coded sonography correlated well and showed a typical triphasic pattern. At peak systole in the popliteal artery, spatial maximum and spatial mean velocities measured with velocity-encoded cine MR were 42.29 cm/sec +/- 9.55 (standard deviation) and 27.7 cm/sec +/- 5.8, respectively; the peak velocity measured with color-coded sonography was 44.2 cm/sec +/- 12.3. It is concluded that use of both MR angiography and velocity-encoded cine MR should be considered for identification of arterial stenoses and assessment of the hemodynamic importance of peripheral vascular stenoses.