Analysis of Enlarged Images Using Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography, Computed Tomography, and Conventional Angiography

This study aimed to assess the accuracy of time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography, computed tomography, and conventional angiography in depicting the actual length of the blood vessels. Three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography and computed tomography angiography were performed using a flow phantom model that was 2.11 mm in diameter and had a total area of 0.26 cm². After this, volume rendering technique and the maximum intensity projection method as well as two-dimensional digital subtraction angiography and three-dimensional rotational angiography based on conventional angiography were conducted. For three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography, 8 channel sensitivity encoding (SENSE) head coil for the 3.0 Tesla equipment was used. Fluid was added to the normal saline solution at various rates, such as 11.4, 20.0, 31.4, 40.0, 51.5, 60.0, 71.5, 80.1, 91.5, and 100.1 cm/s using an automatic contrast media injector. Each image was thoroughly examined. After reconstructing the image using the maximum intensity projection method, the length of the conduit in the center of the coronal plane was measured 30 times. After performing computed tomography angiography with the 64-channel CT scanner and 16-channel CT scanner, the images were sent to TeraRecon. Then, the length of the conduit in the center of the coronal plane of each image was measured 30 times after reconstructing the images using volume rendering and maximum intensity projection techniques. For conventional angiography, three-dimensional rotational angiography and two-dimensional digital subtraction angiography were used. Images obtained by three-dimensional rotational angiography were reconstructed and enhanced by 33, 50, and 100 % in the 128 Matrix and the 256 Matrix, respectively on the Xtra Vision workstation. The maximum intensity projection was used for the reconstruction, and the length of the conduit was measured 30 times in the center of the coronal plane of each image. Measurements using the two-dimensional digital subtraction angiography were obtained 30 times in the center of the image. As a result, the lumen length measured by three-dimensional enhanced flow MR angiography images was a minimum of 2.51 ± 0.12 mm when the fluid velocity was 40 cm/s. The images obtained by computed tomography angiography were larger than the actual images obtained by using the test equipment and the reconstruction method. Among the reconstruction methods of three-dimensional rotational angiography, the lumen length in the image reconstructed by 100 % in the 256 matrix was the smallest; 2.76 ± 0.009 mm. In the 128 matrix, as the scope of reconstruction was widened, the length of the vessel was increased by 0.710 units. In the 256 matrix, as the scope of reconstruction was widened, the length of the vessel was decreased by 0.972 units. In two-dimensional digital subtraction angiography, the lumen length in the image was 2.22 ± 0.095 mm. Although this image was magnified similar to the image reconstructed by 100 % in the 256 matrix of three-dimensional rotational angiography (P < 0.05), it was closest to the actual image among the images compared in this study. In conclusion, images obtained by two-dimensional digital subtraction angiography were closer to the actual images compared to the images obtained by other procedures. It can be concluded that vascular images obtained by magnetic resonance angiography, CT angiography, and conventional angiography were larger than the actual images.