Vascular masking for improved unfolding in 2D SENSE-accelerated 3D contrast-enhanced MR angiography.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To describe and evaluate the method we refer to as "vascular masking" for improving signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) retention in sensitivity encoding (SENSE)-accelerated contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA).

Materials and methods

Vascular masking is a technique that restricts the SENSE unfolding of an accelerated subtraction angiogram to the voxels within the field of view known to have enhancing signal. This is a more restricted voxel set than that identified with conventional masking, which excludes only voxels in the air around the object. Thus, improved retention of SNR is expected. Evaluation was done in phantom and in vivo studies by comparing SNR and the g-factor in results reconstructed using vascular versus conventional masking. A radiologic

SUBMITTER: Stinson EG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3818335 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature