Superficial extracranial arteries are predilection sites for disease manifestation in large vessel vasculitides. We evaluated the suitability of a whole-brain T1-weighted dark blood CS-SPACE sequence, initially developed for intracranial vessel wall imaging, for visualization of vasculitic changes of superficial extracranial arteries. 53 patients were analyzed in a prospective blinded two university medical center trial. First clinical results demonstrate the technique`s applicability for clinical application. Mural thickening and contrast-enhancement of superficial extracranial arteries are clearly visible. The optimized VWI protocol offers potential for assessment of intra- and extracranial disease extent in case of suspected large vessel vasculitis in one single examination.
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