Chonnam Med J.  2004 Mar;40(1):13-19.

The Artifacts and Pitfalls of e3D-TOF MR Angiography in the Evaluation of Cerebrovascular Disease

• Shin SS
• Seo JJ
• Yim NY
• Kang HK
• Kim JK
• Jeong GW
• Kim YH
• Park JG
• Jeong YY
• Yoon W
• Chung TW

Abstract

To evaluate the imaging pitfalls and artifacts of e-3D TOF MR angiography that may lead to erroneous interpretation in the evaluation of intracranial vascular disease. We retrospectively examined 82 patients with suspected intracranial vascular disease who underwent e-3D TOF MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography. All the MR angiograms were randomized and then reviewed retrospectively by two experienced neuroradiologists blinded to the DSA results. Artifacts were classified as flow-related and flow-unrelated. In the assessment of type and frequency of flow-related artifacts, saturation artifact was observed in all cases, whereas the dephasing artifact in 97.6%, in-plane flow artifact in 51.2%, turbulence artifact in 38%, and phase encoding ghost artifact in 2.4%. For flow-unrelated artifacts, magnetic susceptibility artifact, MIP artifact, and paramagnetic substance artifact due to orbital fat and paranasal sinus mucosa were observed in all patients. In conclusion, various types of artifacts can be encountered in the evaluation of intracranial vascular disease with 3D TOF MR angiorgam. An understanding of the causes and physical principles of variable artifacts will enable the radiologists to avoid and minimize erroneous interpretation of e3D-TOF MRA.

Keyword

Magnetic resonance imaging; Cerebral angiography; Brain disease

MeSH Terms

Angiography*
Angiography, Digital Subtraction
Artifacts*
Brain Diseases
Cerebral Angiography
Cerebrovascular Disorders
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Mucous Membrane
Orbit
Retrospective Studies