Clinical experience in timed arterial compression contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography of the hand.

Purpose: A retrospective analysis of the diagnostic performance of the timed arterial compression (TAC) technique, which allows freezing of the contrast bolus during first-pass contrast-enhanced (CE) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to diagnose vascular pathologies in the hand.

Material And Methods: A total of 14 consecutive CE-MRAs of the hand were acquired by using the TAC technique. By inflating a blood pressure cuff up to 200 mm Hg triggered to the arterial contrast filling of the hand, prolonged measurement times up to 144 seconds, with a spatial resolution of 0.

Improved vessel delineation in keyhole time-resolved contrast-enhanced MR angiography using a gadolinium doped flush.

Purpose: To prospectively assess the influence of a gadolinium doped saline flush compared with a pure saline flush on the image quality of the supra-aortic vessels using time-resolved contrast-enhanced MR angiography (4D CE-MRA) in a randomized double blind clinical trial.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-two patients scheduled for contrast-enhanced craniocerebral MRI underwent a supplemental 4D CE-MRA covering the carotids to the superior sinus consisting of 30 dynamics of a T1-weighted 3D gradient-echo sequence (FFE) in sagittal direction. The temporal resolution of 1.

Time-resolved, high-resolution contrast-enhanced MR angiography of dialysis shunts using the CENTRA keyhole technique with parallel imaging.

Purpose: To evaluate the use of a dynamic keyhole magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) sequence combined with sensitivity encoding (SENSE) for hemodialysis shunts, because surveillance with conventional contrast-enhanced MRA (CE-MRA) is limited by its low temporal resolution, resulting in arteriovenous overlay.

Materials And Methods: A total of 12 patients with Brescia-Cimino shunts were investigated prospectively using the new technique. During the contrast passage (gadoterate, Gd-DOTA) a series of five to nine dynamic central k-space measurements (10% for upper-arm shunt, 25% for lower-arm shunt) followed by a full reference data set were acquired.

Gradient-enhanced volume rendering: an image processing strategy to facilitate whole small bowel imaging with MRI.

MRI of the small bowel with positive contrast from orally administered contrast agent is a promising non-invasive imaging method. The aim of our study was to introduce small bowel MRI in a display format that clinicians are accustomed to and that maximizes the amount of information visualized on a single image. Twelve healthy volunteers, median age 32 years (range 18-49 years) participated in the study.

First report of an accessory popliteal muscle: detection with MRI.

During an MRI examination of the knee in a 48-year-old patient suffering from degenerative changes of a partly resected medial meniscus and concomitant osteoarthritis of the knee joint, an unusual variant of an accessory muscle in the popliteal fossa was found. To our best knowledge this muscle has never been described before. Because of the close relationship to the popliteal muscle with regard to course and localisation in the deep popliteal fossa ventral to the popliteal artery, the term "accessory popliteal muscle" is proposed.

Primary cerebral leiomyosarcoma in a child.

We present a 13-year-old boy with a low-grade primary intra-axial cerebral leiomyosarcoma. MRI showed a contrast-enhancing intra-axial mass with features of a cell-rich tumour. The diagnosis was established after neurosurgery and exclusion of an extracerebral primary tumour.

Giant cardiac myxoma with malignant transformed glandular structures.

A case of a right-sided giant cardiac myxoma with malignant transformation of glandular structures causing systemic metastases is described. Plain chest radiography and computed tomography localized the tumor within the heart. Exact depiction of the origin of the tumor using subtracted 2D-projection MR angiography is documented.

High-resolution magnetic resonance angiography of hands with timed arterial compression (tac-MRA).

Timed arterial compression (tac) of blood flow can be achieved by inflation of a blood-pressure cuff. We postulated that this technique might improve contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the arteries of the hands. We studied eight volunteers and six patients with occlusive arterial disease of the hands with standard MRA and tac-MRA.