Zhaoyang Fan1,2, John Sheehan1, Xiaoming Bi3, Timothy J. Carroll1,2, Renate Jerecic3, James Carr1, Debiao Li1,2
1Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; 2Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; 3Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA
The present work developed a new noncontrast subtraction MRA method in lower extremities based on flow-sensitized dephasing (FSD) prepared SSFP. Optimization of FSD gradient strength was performed for healthy volunteers at 1.5T to achieve the highest arterial SNR, artery-vein CNR. Promising results were also obtained from patient with peripheral artery disease. Further optimization of the parameters on patients is warranted. The flexibility of choice on the FSD gradient strength and direction allows adapting the technique to individual physiological conditions in patients to achieve optimal results. It is therefore anticipated that this technique could be applied to other vascular territories.