Determination of the optimal first‐order gradient moment for flow‐sensitive dephasing magnetization‐prepared 3D noncontrast MR angiography

Flow‐sensitive dephasing (FSD) magnetization preparation has been developed for black‐blood vessel wall MRI and noncontrast MR angiography. The first‐order gradient moment, m₁, is a measure of the flow‐sensitization imparted by an FSD preparative module. Determination of the optimal m₁ for each individual is highly desirable for FSD‐prepared MR angiography. This work developed a 2D m₁‐scouting method that evaluates a range of m₁ values for their effectiveness in blood signal suppression in a single scan. The feasibility of using the 2D method to predict blood signal suppression in 3D FSD‐prepared imaging was validated on a flow phantom and the popliteal arteries of 5 healthy volunteers. Excellent correlation of the blood signal measurements between the 2D scouting and 3D FSD imaging was obtained. Therefore, the optimal m₁ determined from the 2D m₁‐scouting scan may be directly translated to 3D FSD‐prepared imaging. In vivo studies of additional 10 healthy volunteers and 2 patients have demonstrated the proposed method can help significantly improve the signal performance of FSD MR angiography, indicating its potential to enhance diagnostic confidence. Further systematic studies in patients are warranted to evaluate its clinical value. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.