COMPARATIVE STUDY
JOURNAL ARTICLE
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Comparison between multi-shot gradient echo EPI and balanced SSFP in unenhanced 3T MRA of thoracic aorta in healthy volunteers.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare scan time and image quality between magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the thoracic aorta using a multi-shot gradient echo planar imaging (MSG-EPI) and MRA using balanced steady-state free precession (b-SSFP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Healthy volunteers (n=17) underwent unenhanced thoracic aorta MRA using balanced steady-state free precession (b-SSFP) and MSG-EPI sequences on a 3T MRI. The acquisition time, total scan time, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the thoracic aorta, and the coefficient of variation (CV) of thoracic aorta were compared with paired t-tests. Two radiologists independently recorded the images' contrast, noise, sharpness, artifacts, and overall quality on a 4-point scale.

RESULTS: The acquisition time was 36.2% shorter for MSG-EPI than b-SSFP (115.5±14.4 vs 181.0±14.9s, p<0.01). The total scan time was 40.4% shorter for MSG-EPI than b-SSFP (272±78 vs 456±144s, p<0.01). There was no significant difference in mean SNR between MSG-EPI and b-SSFP scans (17.3±3.6 vs 15.2±4.3, p=0.08). The CV was significantly lower for MSG-EPI than b-SSFP (0.2±0.1 vs. 0.5±0.2, p<0.01). All qualitative scores except for image noise were significantly higher in MSG-EPI than b-SSFP scans (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The MSG-EPI sequence is a promising technique for shortening scan time and yielding more homogenous image quality in MRA of thoracic aorta on 3T scanners compared with the b-SSFP.

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