Fast Vessel Scout Imaging Based on Continuously Moving Table Acquisitions of Projection Data

Sandra Huff¹, Michael Markl¹, Ute Ludwig¹

MRA of the peripheral arteries is typically based on a contrast enhanced multistation bolus-chase approach, which requires good synchronization of data acquisition, table motion and arterial passage of the contrast agent bolus. These challenges imply the need for careful planning for the consecutive acquisitions of the several stations and prior knowledge of the vessel geometry would thus be desirable. This study presents the implementation of a fast peripheral vessel scout based on Continuously Moving Table acquisition of projection data with Time-of-Flight (TOF) contrast. The variation of arterial TOF signal during the cardiac cycle was exploited to enhance blood-background contrast.