Anita A. Harteveld1,
Nikki Dieleman1, Laurens J. De Cocker1, Catharina J.M.
Frijns2, Fredy Visser1, 3, Peter R. Luijten1,
Jeroen Hendrikse1, Anja G. van der Kolk1
1Radiology,
University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 2Neurology,
University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 3Philips Healthcare,
Best, Netherlands
Intracranial perforating arteries are crucial for the perfusion of the deep gray matter structures of the brain. Due to the size of these small arteries a high spatial resolution is necessary for clear visualization of these vessels. Therefore, in this study we evaluated high resolution 7T post-contrast TOF MRA in patients with cerebrovascular disease. We demonstrated that six intracranial small (perforating) arteries can be visualized. The intracranial feeders of the anterior spinal artery were visualized for the first time. The presented sequence may have additional diagnostic value in the clinical evaluation of patients suspected of pathology of the small (perforating) arteries.