Non-Contrast Inversion Recovery Balanced Ssfp Mra of the Abdominal Aorta at 3T: Predicting Optimal Inversion Times by Blood Velocity Measurement

Iliyana Plamenova Atanasova^1,2, Ruth P. Lim¹, Hua Guo¹, Daniel Kim¹, Pippa Storey¹, Kellyanne McGorty¹, Andrew Laine², Vivian S. Lee¹

3D non-enhanced balanced steady-state free precession MRA with a slab-selective inversion (IR SSFP) has demonstrated promise for renal artery evaluation at 1.5T. With proper selection of inversion times (TI), the technique can be adopted for coronal imaging of the abdominal aorta with comprehensive superior-inferior coverage at 3T. We propose a method for subject-specific calculation of TI based on arterial blood velocities. Our results illustrate that visualization of the aortoiliac vessels using IR SSFP varies considerably across subjects depending on flow velocities. Thus, measuring aortic velocities prior to MRA enables an examination tailored to the patients physiology for improved arterial visualization.