Stenosis, distal branches and collateral circulation were of great importance in assessing vulnerable vessel beds in stroke patients. Minimum intensity projection (mIP) MRA was derived from high resolution vessel wall imaging (HR VWI), which can be used as evaluating vessel wall, as well as vessel lumen. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of HR VWI based mIP MRA for evaluating MCA stenosis, occlusion, accompanying microvascular (AMV) and leptomeningeal branches. Using CTA as a standard, mIP MRA outperformed TOF MRA in assessing MCA stenosis, occlusion, AMV and leptomeningeal branches. Consistent with CTA, mIP MRA is feasible for clinical application, and may help in detecting collaterals.
