Abstract #0506

Carr J, Dill K, Groves E, Yang C, Diniz L, Carroll T

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) is routinely used as a first-line tool for assessing the thoracic aorta.The proximal aorta is not infrequently obscured by motion artifact due to cardiac pulsation. With acceleration techniques such as parallel imaging it is now possible to implement CE-MRA with ECG-gating. This study shows a significant improvement in sharpness of the aortic root for ECG-gated MRA compared to ungated MRA in a group of 50 patients. This may result in improved detection of pathology particularly in the region of the aortic sinuses.