According to ARRS’ American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), the 3-T Dixon gradient-recalled echo (GRE) sequence performed higher than the current standard of 1.5-T SSFP for unenhanced coronary MRA, which could help expand clinical adoption of the procedure.
“For unenhanced coronary MRA, 3-T unenhanced Dixon GRE had better image quality and diagnostic performance than 1.5-T SSFP, particularly for distal and branch segments, buy cheap diovan no prescription needed ” wrote lead researcher Hang Jin from China’s Fudan University and Shanghai Institute of Medical Imaging.
Jin and team’s prospective study included 44 patients (27 men, 17 women; mean age, 59 years) with intermediate-to-high risk of coronary artery disease who underwent both 1.5-T SSFP and 3-T Dixon GRE coronary MRA examinations before coronary angiography. Two radiologists independently assessed coronary arteries in random order for subjective image quality, number of visible segments, apparent contrast-to-noise ratio, and presence of significant stenoses.
Compared with 1.5-T SSFP, coronary MRA using 3-T unenhanced Dixon GRE demonstrated higher image quality (4.0±1.1 vs 3.0±1.2), higher percentage of visible coronary segments (96.7% vs 88.9%), as well as higher sensitivity (87.9% vs 77.3%) and specificity (83.3% vs 60.6%) for significant stenoses on a per-vessel basis, using coronary angiography as reference.
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