4D radial contrast-enhanced MR angiography with sliding subtraction

A method is presented for high spatial and temporal resolution 3D contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography. The overall technique involves a set of interrelated components suited to high-frame-rate angiography, including 3D cylindrical k-space sampling, angular undersampling, asymmetric sampling, sliding window reconstruction, pseudorandom view ordering, and a sliding subtraction mask. Computer simulations and volunteer studies demonstrated the utility of each component of the technique. Angiograms of one hemisphere of the intracranial vasculature were acquired with a pixel size of 1.1 x 1.1 x 2.8 mm and a frame rate of 0.35 sec based on a temporal resolution of 3.5 sec. Such a 3D time-resolved, or "4D," technique has the potential to noninvasively acquire diagnostic quality images of certain anatomic regions with a frame rate fast enough to not only ensure the capture of an uncontaminated arterial phase, but even demonstrate contrast bolus flow dynamics. Clinical applications include noninvasive imaging of arteriovenous shunting, which is demonstrated with a patient study.