Zihao Zhang1,2, Zhaoyang Fan3,4, Qingle Kong1,5, Jiayu Xiao6, Fang Wu7, Jing An8, Qi Yang9,10, Debiao Li3,11, Yan Zhuo1,2. 1. State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. 2. The Innovation Center of Excellence on Brain Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. 3. Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA. 4. Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 5. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. 6. Department of Radiology, Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. 7. Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. 8. Siemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd., Shenzhen, China. 9. Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA. yangyangqiqi@gmail.com. 10. Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. yangyangqiqi@gmail.com. 11. Departments of Medicine and Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of using intracranial T1-weighted vessel wall imaging (VWI) to visualize the lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) at 3T. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirteen healthy volunteers were examined with VWI at 3T and TOF-MRA at 7T during the same day. On the vascular skeletons obtained by manual tracing, the number of stems and branches of LSAs were counted. On the most prominent branch in every hemisphere, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the full length and the local length (5-15 mm above MCAs) were measured and compared between the two methods. Nine stroke patients with intracranial artery stenosis were also recruited into the study. The branches of LSAs were compared between the symptomatic and asymptomatic side. RESULTS: The extracted vascular trees were in good agreement between 7T TOF-MRA and 3T VWI. The two acquisitions showed similar numbers of the LSA stems. The number of branches revealed by 3T VWI was slightly lower than 7T TOF. The full lengths were slightly lower by VWI at 3T (p = 0.011, ICC = 0.917). The measured local lengths (5-15 mm from MCAs) showed high coherence between VWI and TOF-MRA (p = 0.098, ICC = 0.970). In stroke patients, 12 plaques were identified on MCA segments, and nine plaques were located on the symptomatic side. The average numbers of LSA visualized by 3T VWI were 4.3±1.3 on the symptomatic side and 5.0±1.1 on the asymptomatic side. CONCLUSION: 3T VWI is capable of depicting LSAs, particularly the stems and the proximal segments, with comparable image quality to that of 7T TOF-MRA. KEY POINTS: • T1-weighted intracranial VWI at 3T allows for black-blood MR angiography of lenticulostriate artery. • 3T intracranial VWI depicts the stems and proximal segments of the lenticulostriate arteries comparable to 7T TOF-MRA. • It is feasible to assess both large vessel wall lesions and lenticulostriate vasculopathy in one scan.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of using intracranial T1-weighted vessel wall imaging (VWI) to visualize the lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) at 3T. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirteen healthy volunteers were examined with VWI at 3T and TOF-MRA at 7T during the same day. On the vascular skeletons obtained by manual tracing, the number of stems and branches of LSAs were counted. On the most prominent branch in every hemisphere, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the full length and the local length (5-15 mm above MCAs) were measured and compared between the two methods. Nine strokepatients with intracranial artery stenosis were also recruited into the study. The branches of LSAs were compared between the symptomatic and asymptomatic side. RESULTS: The extracted vascular trees were in good agreement between 7T TOF-MRA and 3T VWI. The two acquisitions showed similar numbers of the LSA stems. The number of branches revealed by 3T VWI was slightly lower than 7T TOF. The full lengths were slightly lower by VWI at 3T (p = 0.011, ICC = 0.917). The measured local lengths (5-15 mm from MCAs) showed high coherence between VWI and TOF-MRA (p = 0.098, ICC = 0.970). In strokepatients, 12 plaques were identified on MCA segments, and nine plaques were located on the symptomatic side. The average numbers of LSA visualized by 3T VWI were 4.3±1.3 on the symptomatic side and 5.0±1.1 on the asymptomatic side. CONCLUSION: 3T VWI is capable of depicting LSAs, particularly the stems and the proximal segments, with comparable image quality to that of 7T TOF-MRA. KEY POINTS: • T1-weighted intracranial VWI at 3T allows for black-blood MR angiography of lenticulostriate artery. • 3T intracranial VWI depicts the stems and proximal segments of the lenticulostriate arteries comparable to 7T TOF-MRA. • It is feasible to assess both large vessel wall lesions and lenticulostriate vasculopathy in one scan.
Authors: Cornelius von Morze; Duan Xu; Derk D Purcell; Christopher P Hess; Pratik Mukherjee; David Saloner; Douglas A C Kelley; Daniel B Vigneron Journal: J Magn Reson Imaging Date: 2007-10 Impact factor: 4.813
Authors: Necmettin Tanriover; Masatou Kawashima; Albert L Rhoton; Arthur J Ulm; Robert A Mericle Journal: J Neurosurg Date: 2003-06 Impact factor: 5.115