Comparison of Subtractive and Non-Subtractive Nonenhanced MR Angiography for Peripheral Arterial Disease: a Pilot Study

Emily Ward¹, NavYash Gupta, Eugene Dunkle¹, Christopher Glielmi², Robert R. Edelman¹, ³

Nonenhanced techniques can be a useful alternative to contrast-enhanced MRA for patients with peripheral arterial disease. Both subtractive and non-subtractive approaches have been proposed. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the relative merits and accuracy of the two types of nonenhanced approaches. Our data showed good sensitivity and excellent inter-observer agreement for PAD using either subtractive or non-subtractive nonenhanced MRA. In this pilot study, specificity and image quality were significantly better for QISS than Native SPACE, due to substantially reduced sensitivity to motion artifacts and lack of dependence on selection of trigger delays.