Michael Markl1, Wolf Wallis2, Stefanie Brendecke2, Jan Simon2, Alex Frydrychowicz1, Cornelius Weiller2, Jrgen Hennig1, Andreas Harloff2
1Diagnostic Radiology, Medical Physics, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; 2Neurology, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of time-resolved 3-directional 3-dimensional Phase Contrast MRI (flow sensitive 4D MRI) for the assessment of pulse wave velocity in the thoracic aorta for normal (12 healthy volunteers) and pathological (9 patients with aortic atherosclerosis) vascular compliance. Results from pulse wave velocity calculations incorporated velocity data from the entire aorta and were compared to standard methods based on flow waveforms at specific anatomical landmarks. Additionally, the volumetric coverage of flow-sensitive 4D MRI permitted the analysis of normal and altered regional PWV in the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and descending aorta.