Variable impact of CSF flow suppression on quantitative 3.0T intracranial vessel wall measurements

Background Flow suppression techniques have been developed for intracranial (IC) vessel wall imaging (VWI) and optimized using simulations; however, simulation results may not translate in vivo. Purpose To evaluate experimentally how IC vessel wall and lumen measurements change in identical subjects when evaluated using the most commonly available blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow suppression modules and VWI sequences. Study Type Prospective. Population/Subjects Healthy adults (n = 13; age = 37 ± 15 years) were enrolled. Field Strength/Sequence A 3.0T 3D T1/proton density (PD)‐weighted turbo‐spin‐echo (TSE) acquisition with post‐readout anti‐driven equilibrium module, with and without Delay‐Alternating‐with‐Nutation‐for‐Tailored‐Excitation (DANTE) was applied. DANTE flip angle (8–12°) and TSE refocusing angle (sweep = 40–120° or 50–120°) were varied. Assessment Basilar artery and internal carotid artery (ICA) wall thicknesses, CSF signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR), and signal ratio (SR) were assessed. Measurements were made by two readers (radiology resident and board‐certified neuroradiologist). Statistical Tests A Wilcoxon signed‐rank test was applied with corrected two‐sided P