Currently, 3T MR scanners hold 10% of the market with rising market share. Angiographic exams in particular benefit directly from the higher field strength. The theoretically doubled signal-to-noise ratio at 3T allows for abdominal magnetic-resonance angiography (MRA) exams with submillimeter spatial resolution with acquisition times of less than 20 seconds. Because of altered longitudinal relaxation times, MRA exams can be performed with a significantly reduced amount of contrast agents. This review describes the current technical concepts and outlines typical sequence parameters for abdominal and pelvic MRA. The choice of contrast agents for abdominal MRA is discussed in detail. This article also provides an outlook to new technical concepts that are already at the horizon of MRA.
aInstitute of Clinical Radiology, University Hospital Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim–University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
bInstitute of Clinical Radiology, University of Munich–Grosshadern Campus, Munich, Germany
cDepartment of Cardiovascular Radiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Corresponding author. Institute of Clinical Radiology, University Hospital Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mann-heim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
This work was supported in part by the Verein MagnetresonanzForschung e.V.
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