Feathering: Vertebral Artery Pseudostenosis with Elliptical Centric Contrast-Enhanced MR Angiography

Elliptical centric contrast-enhanced MR angiography of the cervical vasculature is a well-established technique that in many practices has replaced conventional angiography for several clinical indications, including atherosclerotic disease and dissections. Occasionally blurring or loss of signal intensity occurs in the vertebral arteries, especially in young patients with rapid circulation times. This ringing artifact, which we termed "feathering," results from rapidly changing signal intensity in small vascular structures during the sampling of the center of k-space.