Abstract #0507

Katoh M, Buecker A, Muehlenbruch G, Schauerte P, Guenther R, Spuentrup E

A contrast-enhanced MR angiography (ceMRA) sequence was combined with ECG-gating for improved visualization of the left atrium, pulmonary veins and the great thoracic vessels. In twelve patients ceMRA was performed with and without ECG-gating on a 1.5 Tesla MR-system (Gyroscan Intera, Philips Medical Systems, Best, NL). Contour sharpness, SNR, CNR, and the subjective artifact level were analyzed. Using an ECG-gated ceMRA sequence, cardiac motion and vessel pulsation artifacts were significantly reduced leading to significantly increased contour sharpness of the left atrium and the thoracic vessels. In addition, higher SNR and CNR were found using ECG-gated ceMRA compared to standard ceMRA.