Winfried Albert Willinek1, Jack Boschewitz1, Dariusch Reza Hadizadeh1, Guido Matthias Kukuk1, Ute L. Fahlenkamp1, Jrgen Gieseke1, 2, Carsten Meyer1, Kai Wilhelm1
1Radiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, NRW, Germany; 2Clinical Scientist, Philips Healthcare, Best, Netherlands
Steady state MRA (SSMRA) with blood pool contrast agents (BPCA) overcomes the limited spatial resolution in first pass imaging by offering a prolonged time window that allows for increased spatial resolution with improved sensitivity and specificity of stenosis grading in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). We investigated the usefulness of 125 m spatial resolution SSMRA for non-invasive planning of endovascular procedures in critical limb ischemia (PAOD III-IV). 125 m spatial resolution SSMRA improved the pre-interventional planning of endovascular procedures by allowing to correctly predict stent size and location of the intervention and, thus may influence therapeutic decision making.