Marco Essig MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Frederik Lars Giesel MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Marc-Andre Weber MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Michael Bock PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Hans-Ulrich Kauczor MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To assess the hemodynamic characteristics of patients with angiographically proven cerebral AVMs we applied to 20 patients both an ultrafast, time resolved contrast enhanced MR-DSA technique (cMRA) as well as a non-enhanced dynamic tagging MR-DSA (dMRA).

The cMRA is based on an ultrafast 3D-FLASH acquisition after bolus injection of 10cc of Gd-BOPTA (MultiHance® ,Bracco Imaging, Milan, Italy) using parallel imaging techniques (IPAT) at a TR of <2ms and a TE of < 1 ms and a temporal resolution of about 250 ms. The dMRA sequence, with a temporal resolution of 100 ms, is based on the spin labeling sequence (STAR) in which a bolus of blood upstream the AVM is tagged by an inversion pulse and imaged downstream at different time intervals after tagging (100 ms to 1200 ms) using also a 2D FLASH acquisition. For both techniques morpologic and hemodynamic parameters were assessed and compared with the clinical presentation.

A hemodynamic assessment and a detailed analysis of the angioarchitecture of the malformation was possible with both techniques. Feeding arteries, AVM nidus, and draining veins were detected easily. The time resolution was better with dMRA, but suffers from a substantially longer acquisition time. Artifacts are more pronounced on the dMRA while the cMRA proved to be robust.

Both cMRA and dMRA proved to be very helpful diagnostic tools in the assessment of the angioarchitecture and the hemodynamic changes of cerebral AVMs. The time resolved acquisition allowed intersting insights into the hemodynamics of such malformations.

Essig, M, Giesel, F, Weber, M, Bock, M, Kauczor, H, Cerebral AVM: Hemodynamic Characterisation by Ultrafast Contrast-enhanced MRA and Non-enhanced Dynamic Active Tagging MRA.  Radiological Society of North America 2005 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 27 - December 2, 2005 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2005/4412119.html