Quality-Evaluation Scheme for Cerebral Time-Resolved 3D Contrast-Enhanced MR Angiography Techniques

• Published in: American journal of neuroradiology : AJNR Vol. 31; no. 8; pp. 1480 - 1487
• Main Authors: RAOULT, H, FERRE, J.-C, MORANDI, X, CARSIN-NICOL, B, CARSIN, M, CUGGIA, M, LAW, M, GAUVRIT, J.-Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oak Brook, IL American Society of Neuroradiology 01-09-2010
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Cerebral Arteries; Cerebral Arteries - anatomy & histology; Cerebral Arteries - pathology; Cerebral Veins; Cerebral Veins - anatomy & histology; Cerebral Veins - pathology; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cerebrovascular Disorders - pathology; Child; Female; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - standards; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - statistics & numerical data; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Life Sciences; Magnetic Resonance Angiography; Magnetic Resonance Angiography - methods; Magnetic Resonance Angiography - standards; Magnetic Resonance Angiography - statistics & numerical data; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Mood disorders; Nervous system; Neurons and Cognition; Observer Variation; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Reference Values; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Young Adult; Evaluation; Nervous system diseases; Radiodiagnosis; Central nervous system; Technique; NMR angiography; Encephalon
• ISSN: 0195-6108; 1936-959X
• DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.A2093

No practical tool has been reported in the literature to evaluate the quality of cerebral TR-3D-CE-MRA techniques. Our study assessed a large list of parameters used to propose a quality-evaluation scheme for TR-3D-CE-MRA.
A large list of visual and quantitative parameters used to study the quality of images was collected from the literature and evaluated in 19 healthy patients and 11 patients with arteriovenous shunts who had undergone both CENTRA keyhole TR-3D-CE-MRA at 3T and CCA. Several observers evaluated the visual parameters, such as the diagnostic confidence index, artifacts, maximum vascular signal intensity, arterial-to-venous separation, and visibility of 17 arteries and 7 veins; and quantitative parameters, such as maximum arterial SI, arteriovenous transit time, arteriovenous contrast curve, and ADW. A statistical analysis was used to determine interobserver reproducibility of the visual parameters, to calculate the sensitivity of TR-3D-CE-MRA for detecting each vessel (with CCA as standard of reference), and to compare the results of the visual and quantitative evaluations.
Diagnostic confidence index, artifacts, arterial-to-venous separation, and 4 vessels-the PICA, ophthalmic and occipital arteries, and the ISS-demonstrated high reproducibility and sensitivity. The ADW was the most reliable dynamic quantitative parameter and was correlated with arterial-to-venous separation.
The image quality of TR-3D-CE-MRA can be effectively evaluated with a scheme of 1 quantitative and 7 visual parameters.