[The noninvasive study of cerebral veins and dural sinuses: comparison of two MR angiography techniques]. / Estudio no invasivo de las venas cerebrales y los senos durales: comparación de dos técnicas de angiografía con resonancia magnética.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate MR venography with bolus injection of intravenous contrast and elliptical filling of the K space, using three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo (3D-FSPGR) sequences, and to compare it to the technique most frequently employed in the study of cerebral veins and dural sinuses, which is two-dimensional time-of-flight (2D-TOF) MR venography. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Source images, multiplanar reconstructions, and maximum intensity projections (MIP) were obtained using both 2D-TOF venography and contrasted-enhanced 3D-FSPGR venography in 20 healthy volunteers. Two radiologists independently evaluated both techniques for the visualization of twenty-one predefined venous structures, classifying the depiction as completely visible, partially visible, or not visible. RESULTS: The predefined venous structures were completely visible in 795 of 840 (94.6%) of the evaluations of contrast-enhanced 3D-FSPGR images versus 682 of 840 (81.1%) evaluations of 2D-TOF venography images. In the major dural sinuses, visualization was complete in 99.4% of the readings of contrast-enhanced 3D-FSPGR images versus 81% in the readings of the 2D-TOF images. CONCLUSION: 3D-FSPGR with elliptical filling of the K space and bolus injection of contrast material provides higher quality images of the intracranial venous system than those obtained using 2D-TOF sequences.

Estudio no invasivo de las venas cerebrales y los senos durales: comparación de dos técnicas de angiografía con resonancia magnética / The noninvasive study of cerebral veins and dural sinuses: comparison of two MR angiography techniques

Objetivo. El propósito del estudio es evaluar la técnica de venografía con contraste intravenoso en embolada y relleno elíptico del espacio K, utilizando una secuencia tridimensional con eco de gradiente rápido incoherente o destruido (3D-FSPGR) y compararla con la técnica más utilizada para el estudio de venas cerebrales y senos durales que es la 2D-TOF. Material y método. Se comparan prospectivamente las imágenes fuente, las reconstrucciones multiplanares y las proyecciones de máxima intensidad de píxel (MIP) obtenidas con venografía 2D-TOF y con secuencia 3D-FSPGR con contraste en 20 pacientes sanos. Dos radiólogos de modo independiente valoraron veintiuna estructuras venosas predefinidas como completamente, parcialmente o no visibles. Resultados. Las estructuras venosas predefinidas fueron completamente visibles en el 94,6% de las evaluaciones (795 de 840 evaluaciones) con la secuencia 3D-FSPGR con contraste, y en el 81,1% (682 de 840 evaluaciones) con la venografía 2D-TOF. En los senos durales mayores la visualización fue completa en el 99,4% de las lecturas en la angiorresonancia con contraste y en el 81% en la angiorresonancia 2D-TOF. Conclusión. Con la secuencia 3D-FSPGR con relleno elíptico del espacio K y contraste en embolada se obtienen imágenes de calidad del sistema venoso intracraneal, superiores a las obtenidas con la seuencia 2D-TOF

Objective. To evaluate MR venography with bolus injection of intravenous contrast and elliptical filling of the K space, using three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo (3D-FSPGR) sequences, and to compare it to the technique most frequently employed in the study of cerebral veins and dural sinuses, which is two-dimensional time-of-flight (2D-TOF) MR venography. Material and methods. Source images, multiplanar reconstructions, and maximum intensity projections (MIP) were obtained using both 2D-TOF venography and contrasted-enhanced 3D-FSPGR venography in 20 healthy volunteers. Two radiologists independently evaluated both techniques for the visualization of twenty-one predefined venous structures, classifying the depiction as completely visible, partially visible, or not visible. Results. The predefined venous structures were completely visible in 795 of 840 (94.6%) of the evaluations of contrast-enhanced 3D-FSPGR images versus 682 of 840 (81.1%) evaluations of 2D-TOF venography images. In the major dural sinuses, visualization was complete in 99.4% of the readings of contrast-enhanced 3D-FSPGR images versus 81% in the readings of the 2D-TOF images. Conclusion. 3D-FSPGR with elliptical filling of the K space and bolus injection of contrast material provides higher quality images of the intracranial venous system than those obtained using 2D-TOF sequences