High resolutional MR angiography of renal arteries with Gd-DTPA infusion and breath-holding

To obtain high resolutional renal MR angiogram we combined 3D fast scanning technique with Gd-DTPA infusion and surface coil imaging in seven individuals. 1 x 2 x 4 mm spatial resolution provided excellent renal arterial images although thinner slices suffered from decreased signal to noise ratio and ghost artifacts. Twenty seconds interval between injection and data sampling was considered suitable to obtain sufficient signal of the renal arteries. Its easiness, no x-ray irradiation, and capability of repeating study make this technique promising for screening renal arterial diseases.