Noncontrast 3D Steady-State Free-Precession Magnetic Resonance Angiography of the Whole Chest Using Nonselective Radiofrequency Excitation over a Large Field of View: Comparison With Single-Phase 3D Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography

Abstract

Noncontrast 3D SSFP MRA with nonselective radiofrequency excitation provides high image quality and sufficient SNR and CNR for confident assessment of cardiac and thoracic vascular diseases including congenital heart diseases. Our results suggest that noncontrast SSFP MRA outperforms CE-MRA in visualization of cardiac chambers, proximal coronary arteries, pulmonary trunk, and aortic root.