MRI Exam-Specific Parameters: MRA Module (Revised 4-10-2024)

Katie Albus

Modified on: Wed, 10 Apr, 2024 at 12:14 PM

Revision History

In addition to the exam-specific instructions in the following tables, review the following information prior to examination selection and submission. Failure to follow the guidance below may result in failure of the submitted examination.

Failure to meet anatomic coverage and imaging plane specifications may result in failure.

MRA Abdomen for Renal Artery Stenosis or Vasculitis
If time-resolved MRA (e.g. TRICKS, TWIST) is submitted, only 2 contrast-enhanced series should be submitted, which must include: Dynamic phases Source images only from peak carotid enhancement phase
Required Sequences	Category A: Pulse Sequence and Image Contrast	Category B: Anatomic Coverage and Imaging Planes	Category C: Spatial Resolution
3D contrast-enhanced source images or 3D non-contrast MRA renal images	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have minimal to no venous enhancement Must have correct bolus timing if contrast-enhanced Inflow-enhanced (SFFP)e.g.Inhance Suite (GE) NATIVE (Siemens), TRANCE or B-TRANCE (Philips), Time-SLIP, Time Space Angiography or TSA (Toshiba), VASC-ASL (Hitachi) sequences may replace gadolinium-enhanced sequences	Must cover: Origin of celiac artery Origin of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) Right and left renal arteries to the branching in the renal hilum with no motion blurring	Slice thickness ≤ 3.0 mm Reconstructed slice interval ≤ 1.5 mm Voxel volume ≤ 6.0 mm3
3D reformatted images (Angiographic Images)	Must have good artery to background contrast	Must display: Origin of celiac artery Origin of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) Right and left renal arteries	N/A

MRA High Resolution Arch/Carotid Contrast-Enhanced
If time-resolved MRA (e.g. TRICKS, TWIST) is submitted, only 2 contrast-enhanced series should be submitted, which must include: Dynamic phases Source images only from peak carotid enhancement phase
Required Sequences	Category A: Pulse Sequence and Image Contrast	Category B: Anatomic Coverage and Imaging Planes	Category C: Spatial Resolution
3D contrast-enhanced source images	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal/ minimal to no intra-voxel phase dispersion Must have minimal to no venous enhancement Must have correct bolus timing	Must cover: Aortic arch Innominate artery Right and left common carotid artery Right and left carotid bifurcation Right and left subclavian arteries 2 cm distal to the vertebral origins Right and left vertebral arteries Basilar artery Circle of Willis	Slice thickness ≤ 2.0 mm Reconstructed slice interval ≤ 1.0 mm Reconstructed slice interval should be 50 % of the acquired slice thickness Voxel volume ≤ 3.0 mm3
Reformatted contrast-enhanced angiographic images	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal Must have minimal to no venous enhancement	Must display in multiple views and should be derived from the contrast MRA sequence: Aortic arch Innominate artery Right and left common carotid artery Right and left carotid bifurcation (each must be displayed in separate MIP reconstructions with no overlap from other vessels) Right and left subclavian arteries 2 cm distal to the vertebral origins Right and left vertebral arteries Basilar artery Circle of Willis	N/A

MRA Carotid Unenhanced
Required Sequences	Category A: Pulse Sequence and Image Contrast	Category B: Anatomic Coverage and Imaging Planes	Category C: Spatial Resolution
3D time of flight source images	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal Must have minimal to no venous signal A Hi-quality non-contrast MRA includes balanced steady state free precession and arterial spin labeling techniques and may replace 3D time of flight; e.g. NATIVE (Siemens), Inhance Suite (GE), TRANCE or B- TRANCE (Philips), Time-SLIP or Time Space Angiography (Toshiba), VASC-ASL (Hitachi)	Must cover: 2 cm of the right & left common carotid arteries 3 cm of the right & left internal carotid arteries 2 cm of the right & left external carotid arteries	Slice thickness ≤ 1.6 mm Voxel volume ≤ 1.7 mm3
3D time of flight reformatted images (angiographic images)	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal Must have minimal to no venous signal	Must display in multiple views: 2 cm of the right & left common carotid arteries 3 cm of the right & left internal carotid arteries 2 cm of the right & left external carotid arteries Must show adequate segmentation of carotid arteries such that each artery segment is visible in multiple views with no overlap from other vessels The right & left carotid should be segmented separately with no overlap from other vessels	N/A
2D time of flight source images	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal Must have minimal to no venous signal	Must cover: 4 cm of the right & left common carotid arteries right & left internal carotid arteries to the petrous bone right & left external carotid arteries right & left vertebral arteries	Slice thickness ≤ 2.0 mm Gap ≤ 0 mm Pixel area ≤ 1.1 mm²
2D time of flight reformatted images (angiographic images)	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal Must have minimal to no venous signal	Must display in multiple views: 4 cm of the right & left common carotid arteries right & left internal carotid arteries to the petrous bone right & left external carotid arteries right & left vertebral arteries Reformatted images should include one sequence with the entire MRA volume in multiple views and additional separate reformatted sequences of each carotid bifurcation shown in multiple views with no overlap from other vessels	N/A

MRA Thoracic Aorta
If time-resolved MRA (e.g. TRICKS, TWIST) is submitted, only 2 contrast-enhanced series should be submitted, which must include: Dynamic phases Source images only from peak carotid enhancement phase
Required Sequences	Category A: Pulse Sequence and Image Contrast	Category B: Anatomic Coverage and Imaging Planes	Category C: Spatial Resolution
Non-contrast black or bright blood source images	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal Must have minimal to no venous signal	Must cover: 2 cm of the origins of the arch vessels Entire thoracic aorta from the aortic annulus to the diaphragmatic hiatus	Slice thickness ≤ 7.0 mm Gap ≤ 1.5 mm Pixel area ≤ 3.0 mm²
3D contrast enhanced source images	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal Must have minimal to no venous enhancement Must have correct bolus timing	Must cover: 2 cm of the origins of the arch vessels Entire thoracic aorta from the aortic annulus to the diaphragmatic hiatus	Slice thickness ≤ 3.4 mm Reconstructed slice interval ≤ 1.7 mm Voxel volume ≤ 20.0 mm3
3D contrast enhanced reformatted images (angiographic images)	Must have good artery to background contrast Must have uniform artery signal Must have minimal to no venous enhancement	Must display in multiple views: 2 cm of the origins of the arch vessels Entire thoracic aorta from the aortic annulus to the diaphragmatic hiatus	N/A

Revision History for this Article
Date	Section	Description of Revision(s)
12-12-19	All	Article created; FAQs incorporated; No criteria changes
12-19-19	MRA Abdomen for Renal Artery Stenosis or Vasculitis	Removed "Contrast Enhanced" from 3D reformatted images (Angiographic Images) sequence description.
10-18-2021	Carotid Unenhanced	Removed multi-slab from 2D time of flight source images required sequence
4-6-2022	MRA High Resolution Arch/Carotid Contrast-Enhanced	Under Category A, removed " Inflow-enhanced (SFFP) e.g. Inhance Suite (GE), NATIVE (Siemens), TRANCE or B-TRANCE (Philips), Time-SLIP, Time Space Angiography or TSA (Toshiba), VASC-ASL (Hitachi) sequences may replace gadolinium-enhanced sequences"
5-10-2022	MRA Carotid Unenhanced	Edited last two bullets of Category B in 2D Time of flight reformatted images
9-19-2022	MRA High Resolution Arch/Carotid Contrast-Enhanced	Reformatted contrast-enhanced angiographic images: Category B 4th bullet edited to include no overlap from other vessels
4-10-2024	MRA Abdomen for Renal Artery Stenosis or Vasculitis	Added time-resolved MRA guidance
	MRA Thoracic Aorta	Added time-resolved MRA guidance

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